Fairy Tail Academy
by Rizzy Loves Fairy Tail
Summary: Fairy Tail Academy. A place of education, they say. But a certain girl named Lucy Heartfillia proves them wrong. It's much more than that, idiots! It's a place of hope, friendship, good times, embarrassing moments...and love. NaLu and other ships.
1. Chapter 1 - I'm Here!

**Hey!**

**I'm Rizzy, and I'm new to the Fairy Tail fandom and the Fanfiction site in general. Therefore, this is my first fanfic! ASDGHJKL, I'M EXCITED~! **

**Well, anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**

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~Chapter One - I'm Here!~

I stand frozen to the path, my mouth wide open, my knees wobbling.

I feel the press of students behind me, but I still do not move.

Why?

Because I am finally at the most famous and prestigious academy in all of Magnolia – no, the whole of Fiore, even.

Fairy Tail Academy!

The huge, old-fashioned building looms above me, looking like some kind of medieval castle. There are tall, arched windows, spiralling turrets, and I can just _feel _the buzz of learning and wealth and knowledge lurking in this magnificent building of my dreams. I've waited so long to be here and – guess what! _I'm here!_

I come to my senses and let out a shrill squeal, attracting many inquiring glances. "I'm here, I'm here, I'm finally here!" I sing, twirling around on the cobbles and feeling my pleasantly loaded bag bounce against my back.

"Whoa, um…are you OK?" A small, timid voice asks from behind me, and I stop short, a blush creeping up my face as I realise that I was friggin' dancing – dancing in _public, _to be exact. Slowly, I crane my neck to look behind me.

A thin, blue-haired girl meets my somewhat apprehensive gaze. Her big, brown eyes are genuinely worried, and the girl's tiny hand rests on her equally stuffed bag. I decide that I would like this girl, if she did get to know her better.

"Y – yeah. Sorry. I was – um, dancing," I feel my embarrassment return as I keep my eyes firmly glued to the floor. Great start, Lucy, great start.

Surprisingly, the girl laughs, not a trace of 'wow, that girl is crazy' in the sound. "Don't worry, I would do that too. I mean, this is _Fairy Tail, _right?" She stares up at the towering structure, her eyes shining.

"Yeah!" I give an inward sigh of relief. Phewf! So she doesn't think I'm a psycho. Even if I am. Nah, I'm not. I act like one, though. "Um…what's your name?" I ask, determined to become friends with the girl. She reminds me – well, of me.

"Levy. Levy McGarden," The girl named Levy smiles. That's such a cute name! Why can't mine be as cute? "You?"

"Lucy Heart –" I stop midsentence, realising that I can't reveal my identity so easily in front of someone I've just met. Damn. _Baka _Lucy. She would know that I ran away from the Heartfillia mansion, away from my father, who thought that work was more important than his daughter and struck me with cruel words that I will never forget. The Heartfillia name is well-known throughout Fiore, and I can't risk being discovered.

I don't ever want to go back there. Too many bad memories.

Levy is looking at me curiously. "I didn't quite catch that…?"

"Uh – well – Levy, what year are you in?" I blurt, trying to change the subject. In my head, I slap my imaginary forehead. Lucy, you dumbass! Now she's definitely gonna think that something's up.

Levy gives me a confused glance but answers anyway. "First year here. This is my first time at Fairy Tail academy."

"Same!" I say quickly, and take Levy's arm. "We might be in the same dormitory!" Geez, now I'm spouting whatever nonsense is coming in my head.

"Yeah," Levy agrees, her expression baffled. Nevertheless, she lets me drag her into the massive, open oak doors of Fairy Tail Academy.

**(paragraph)**

* * *

Surprisingly, my random guess turns out to be right. "Yes! See, I told you! We _are _in the same room!" I declare, stabbing my finger on the laminated sheet that is stuck beside a gleaming door that has a room number embossed on it – 216. You would think that the all-famous Fairy Tail Academy would at least have the money to buy a couple of plaques or something. But no.

The sheet has seven names on it.

_Levy McGarden_

_Erza Scarlet_

_Cana Alberona_

_Lisanna Strauss_

_Juvia Lockser_

_Wendy Marvell_

_Lucy Heart –_

Ah! Gasping slightly, I casually move my elbow until it rests on the sign, covering the surname that might possibly ruin my whole life. Levy raises an eyebrow, seeming suspicious, and says, "Let me see!"

_Noo. _

Before the death of Lucy Heartfillia can come into motion, however, the door suddenly swings open and there stands the weirdest-looking man I've ever seen.

He has a head of spiky, _pink _hair, which sprung all over the place. Is that natural? It looks like he got bubblegum all over his hair! I stifle a giggle. His large eyes are a strange colour of deep, obsidian black. There are impressive muscles defined against the sleeves of his uniform, but they are slightly obscured by his white, scaly-looking scarf. As he grins at me and Levy, I see that he has sharp incisors – almost _fangs. _

And strangely, I find him very, very attractive.

I feel my heart skip a beat as he appraises me, his huge, sunny grin never leaving his face. "Hey!" He greets cheerfully, raising a hand. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. Looks like we're sharing a dorm, huh?"

"Um…what?" I frown, coming out of her trance. Uh…there are _guys _in our dorm? I already feel myself becoming uncomfortable. God, that better not be true. "But…it only says these people here, and I'm pretty sure they're girls."

Natsu grins even wider, if that is possible, and chuckles. I feel my stomach do back-flips. What is wrong with me? "Nuh-uh." He leans across me, and I feel the muscles that I was helplessly ogling before brush against my chest. Immediately, I feel myself turn as red as a tomato. Well, this is a bit too close for comfort…

Natsu seems to not notice. He points out another sheet that's stuck on the other side of the door that Levy and I didn't see. It announces that us girls are also staying with:

_Natsu Dragneel_

_Gray Fullbuster_

_Gajeel Redfox_

_Jellal Fernandes_

_Laxus Dreyar_

_Romeo Conbolt_

"EH?!" Levy yelps disbelievingly. "We're staying with _guys_?"

"Why?!" I add, equally disbelievingly.

"What, is it that bad?" Natsu says, pretending to look hurt. "Come on, it's fine!"

"W – well…you guys are... _guys_!" I find myself saying.

"So?"

My face is turning red again. Aah! Will my face stop doing that around this guy? I've only met him for five minutes! "Females need their space," I say weakly.

"Hmph." Natsu grumbles. "Well, we're sharing anyway." His signature smile is back on his face. "I'm pleased to meet you guys, anyway! What are your names?"

"Levy," Levy smiles.

"L – Lucy," I say, cursing inside my head. Why, stutter, why? "Please to meet you too."

"Lucy…pretty name," Natsu replies, and it looks like he said it without thinking. I see his face go pink a little bit. Aw! So cute!

"Um, thanks…" I murmur, and our eyes make contact for a second. Ahh, his eyes are amazing! So black and deep and gorg –

"Sorry to interrupt," Levy's voice shocks me to looking away from Natsu. He seems dazed as well. "But can you guys stop flirting so we can get into the dorm already?"

What? Flirting? I flush again. "We weren't flirting!"

"Whatever you say." Levy winks at me and I scowl back. Guess that girl has a wicked side, too.

"Oh, um…some of the guys and girls are already in the dorm. You can come meet them." Natsu smiles that enchanting smile of his and beckons us into the room, turning the shiny doorknob as he does so.

Gulping, I grip Levy's arm like a security blanket and walk into the dorm.

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**So yeah! That's it for the first chappie!**

**Oh, btw, I made Wendy and Romeo older so they're the same age as everyone else. Um…I know that's messed up. Just try and imagine them the way they are in the anime and manga, hehe. And Laxus is younger.**

**Thanks for reading, guys, I really appreciate it! **

**Please, please, PLEASE leave a review *_* I really want to see your feedback and constructive criticism! **

**Thanks! And until next time~!**


	2. Chapter 2 - My Weird Dorm-mates (Pt 1)

** Hai, my lovelies! It's Rizzy again with another chapter!**

**Thank you for reviewing, KillAllTheTitansNatsu! **

**Also, disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. Otherwise Natsu and Lucy would've had friggin' ****_babies _****by now if I owned it, lol.**

**'Kay, here we go! Enjoy!**

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~Chapter Two – My Weird Dorm-mates~

My first impression of my dorm-mates can be summed up in one word.

_Weird._

The first person my eyes are drawn to is to a guy who's lounging lazily on the L-shaped couch, his arm slung over the arm. His hair is messy, a little spiky (but not as crazy as Natsu's), and sort of navy blue-ish. Oh, and did I mentioned he's naked?

"Ah!" My poor, scarred eyes! I hide my face behind my hands, blushing madly. Can I please _stop _blushing for today?! "Why are you naked?"

"Huh?" A voice, which I assume is the naked guy, says quizzically. "Wait – what? AH!" What, did he not know that he had no friggin' clothes on? There's a scuffle of material as he struggles to get his decency back. Slowly, I remove my interlaced fingers from my eyes and see the guy again, this time fully clothed. Thank God. "Um, why were you naked?"

Levy, an expression of absolute disdain on her face, lowers her hands from her face as well. "Yeah, an explanation would be nice. I don't really like walking into my brand-new dorm and seeing a guy naked in there."

"Don't worry about the stripper," Natsu is suddenly behind us, closing the door. His hand lands involuntarily on my shoulder for a second, and I instinctively flinch. I didn't expect the hand to be so…warm.

Realising where his hand is, Natsu snatches off me. "W – well, um, like I said, don't freak out. It's just the stripper. He does it all the time. You'll get used to it – and the size of his small d –"

"Bastard!" The guy roars, and charges like a raging bull towards Natsu, who yells back, "Bring it, pervert!"

Um, what –

"Watch out!" A girl shouts, and a hand shoves hard into my back and Levy's, making us both trip over our own feet and faceplant straight onto the floor.

I swear I just broke my nose.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Levy groans from beside me, and shakily props herself up onto one elbow. "What was that?"

Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I conclude that, thankfully, my nose is not broken. "Ow…I don't know."

"Sorry," I hear a sheepish voice from above and Levy and I both look up.

My jaw drops.

This girl is – she's beautiful!

Crimson red hair flows down to her waist, and her commanding brown eyes flash down at us. Her body is perfect, with curves in just the right places. I've always been somewhat proud of my body shape, but she's just on a whole different level. She has an effortless beauty – I don't think she's even wearing makeup and she's this dazzling!

Yet, despite her angelic looks, I can feel a 'leader' kind of aura radiating off her. She's clearly a scary girl, from all the sort-of fearful looks everyone shoots her.

"Sorry," She repeats, and extends both hands for me and Levy. "Did I hurt you? It's just that Natsu and Gray are fighting again," She says, and unexpectedly pulls us up with superhuman strength, almost making Levy and me crash straight into the wall. Man, this girl has some crazy strength! Levy mutters something under her breath about deceiving looks.

Taking no notice, the girl points over at the brawling Natsu and who I assume is Gray, the naked guy before. I can hear the ridiculous insults they're firing at each other: "Snow cone!" "Hothead!" "Stripper!" "Flame-for-brains!" "Icy balls!" while throwing punches at each other. "They always do this. Just give me a second." She lets go of our hands and storms over to them, her eyes signalling pure murder.

"NATSU AND GRAY! STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I'LL KILL BOTH OF YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" She screams, her deep voice reverberating.

Wow.

This. Girl. Is. Scary.

There's complete silence for a second, where Natsu and Gray keep their eyes trained on the furious girl, fearfully. Then, suddenly, they have their arms around each other's shoulders and they both have large, cheesy smiles on their faces, looking like the best of friends. "We're not fighting, Erza! What are you _talking _about? We're the best of friends, me and Natsu, like always!" Gray declares, pulling his supposed 'best friend' closer to him, widening his fake smile at an unmoving, glaring Erza. Natsu stammers, "A – aye, sir!"

'Aye, sir'? Wow, Natsu really is scared.

Erza turns on her heel with a small 'hmph!', accepting Natsu and Gray's hasty façade at being friends. She makes her way back to me and Levy, ignoring the stricken expressions on our faces. "Anyway," Erza sighs, massaging her temples, "sorry about that. My name is Erza Scarlet. What are yours?"

Hurriedly wiping the shocked expressions off our faces, I quickly say, "I'm Lucy." This time, I make sure to leave out my surname. Good save, Luce. Then I realise…why is her surname the colour of her hair? It's not like I'm Lucy _Blonde _or something. It can't be a coincidence. "Um, why is your surname named after your hair?" I tentatively ask. Great, what if she gets angry at me?

But no, Erza flicks afore mentioned hair proudly and says, "Oh, so you noticed?" She gives a quick glance towards a blue-haired man with a red, intricate tattoo on the top and bottom of his right eye sitting quietly on the edge of the couch before continuing. I wonder who that guy is. "Someone named it after my hair colour, because no one knew my last name."

"Really?" Hm. Erza has a mysterious past, I'm guessing. But (surprisingly), I know the bounds of tactfulness so I stay quiet after that.

Levy then pipes up, "Erza, what year are you in? Lu – chan and I are in our first year." Lu – chan? Ha, I actually quite like that.

"Yes, I'm in my first year too. Many of the people in here went to the same high school as me, such as Jellal, Natsu and Gray, Cana and Lisanna."

"Hey!" Natsu's reproachful voice breaks in. "Why are Gray and I lumped in together?"

"Yeah! I don't want to be paired with the flame brain!" Gray protests, joining us.

Erza whirls around, giving them the death glare. They immediately shrink back.

"Are you guys fighting?" She says slowly, just daring them to contradict her.

I expect them to squeak, "No, sir!" or something like that, but it's quite the contrary. Natsu's big, attractive smile spreads easily over his face and before I know what's happening, he's grabbed my hand and we're running away, away from a bemused Levy, a furious Erza and a bewildered Gray. "Run, Lucy!" Natsu yells, laughing.

"W – wait! Natsu!" I struggle to keep my feet upright. "What are you doing?" And yes, of course I am blushing.

Natsu flashes that grin of his at me. "Running from Erza, of course!" He states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"NATSU! GET BACK HERE!" Erza shrieks, and starts to give chase.

If you walked into the dorm room right then, it would seem like bedlam. People chasing other people, naked guys (Gray's naked again), and lots of raucous yelling. In short, this bedlam is my dorm for the whole of my stay at this academy.

Yay.

Before anything else can happen (e.g Erza murdering someone, me dying of embarrassment), though, a slurred female voice shouts, "Oi, oi, oi…keep it down!"

"Cana!" Erza screeches to a halt from her chasing and peers at a pretty brunette who's sitting cross-legged on the chaise, hugging something to her chest. As I look closer, I realise it's a _humongous _beer barrel. My jaw drops open for the third time today. How could anyone even drink out of there?

But it appears that this drunkard called Cana can. I watch, faintly horrified, as Cana roughly brings the nozzle of the barrel to her mouth and drinks from it for…how long? It seems like an hour, at least. Eventually, she slams the barrel back down and stares hard at me, an intoxicated smile curving the corners of her lips. "Hey. Blondie."

What, me? Stupidly, I throw a glance over my shoulder to see if she's addressing someone behind me.

"Yes, you!" Cana cackles, and stands up, tossing her barrel aside.

Gulping, I can only watch as she advances towards me, smiling drunkenly.

Then –

"Blondie, welcome to our dorm!" Cana unexpectedly hooks a tight arm around my tense shoulders, knocking the wind out of me. For a second, the fear just sits there in my stomach, but then it's gone. I'm pretty sure this girl means no harm!

Cana raises a finger and beckons Levy, which of whom is still standing by Gray, her expression confused. She cautiously makes her way to Cana and me, giving me a look which says, "this is crazy". I give her a look back which says, "I know". I hope, anyway. For all I know, I could just be wrinkling my nose to her.

Cana loops an equally strangling arm around Levy. "Here are the new girls to our dorm, guys!" She announces, raising the arm off my shoulder briefly to gesture to us.

"Blondie…and um, Bluey."

"Bluey?!" Levy protests indignantly, but Cana just laughs it off. "Calm down, it was a joke!" Cana giggles, tugging a strand of Levy's hair not-so-gently.

"Ow!" Levy breaks away, massaging the place on her scalp where Cana pulled. "Well, it's not very funny."

"Cana, their names are f*cking _Levy and Lucy_." A bored, pissed-off looking guy tells her from the corner of the dorm, his glove-clad hand propping up his head as his elbow leans on his knee. Whoa. This dude looks like a full-on emo. He has multiple rows of metal piercings everywhere – when I say everywhere, I mean _everywhere. _On his eyebrows, on the sides of his nose, on the underside of his arms. Unruly black hair tumbles down to his waist, which makes me kind of uncomfortable, because he has longer hair than me, or anyone in this dorm, as a matter of fact. Heh. But as he makes eye contact with me, my mental laughter immediately cuts off. Ah – his eyes are terrifying! All slanted and threatening and did I see a glint of _red_?

He slowly stands up from his perch in the corner and examines us expressionlessly while I shiver. I steal a quick glance at Levy, wanting to see her reaction.

What I see truly shocks me. She's _blushing_!

"Levy," I hiss, "why are you blushing?"

Levy jumps a mile into the air and whispers furiously back, now a deep shade of peony, "Shh!"

Suddenly, the guy's lips curl into a smirk and he lets out a curious, short laugh. It sounds like 'Gee-hee'. "Well, welcome to our dorm, bunny girl, shrimp," He says, his smirk widening.

I have no doubt that 'bunny girl' means me.

And why is that, you ask?

Sigh…well, a couple of days ago, when I was travelling the long, laborious track to Magnolia, there was a nightclub. And you can't blame me for walking in! Being a daughter of Jude Heartfillia, I never get to party wildly very often. To make a long story short, I got a bit tipsy, got into a bunny girl costume, and danced in front of everyone. In the process, I knocked over a candle and it almost burnt the whole friggin' place down. Then, I made the headlines in _The Fiore Times._

I mean, I've always wanted to be a celebrity, but not like this!

"_No way!_" Natsu's dumbfounded, yet awed voice rips through my regretful memories. "That was _you _on the newspaper a couple of days ago?"

I lower my head, shamefully. It didn't have my name on the article, since no one recognised me. My father already knows by now that I got drunk and dressed up as a bunny girl in a nighclub – I shudder to think of the hateful lecture he would've given me if I was at home. "Yeah, it was me."

I expected Natsu to turn away disappointedly, or at least never talk to me again. But what I don't expect is for Natsu to grin widely and let out a loud, joyful laugh.

"Lucy, you're hilarious!" He rests a hand on his stomach as he laughs. "You're spunky, and I like that!"

My face heats up. He…likes that?

"You're weird as well, Lucy," He adds as an afterthought, and the whole vibe is shattered.

I roll my eyes. Weird? How ironic.

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**I'm splitting this chapter into two parts, since I can't fit it all into one chapter!**

**Btw, the guy with the piercings and stuff is Gajeel, if you haven't realised already~**

**Thanks for reading! Leave a review while you're at it! *wink, wink* ;)**

**See you next time! Rizzy is OUT!**


	3. Chapter 3 - My Weird Dorm-mates (Pt 2)

**Hey guys! I'm baaaaack!**

**Ah, I'm sleepy .-. I stayed up to download these Fairy Tail character-sung albums :3 they're all such awesome singers!**

**'Kay, now replying to reviews…**

**CatsCradle22: Aw, thank you! That's what I tried to do, but I wasn't sure if I succeeded :D And yes, sir, I shall! **

**TheGrammarQueen: Yes, yes, I quite agree. And who ****_doesn't _****love Natsu? Yes, GaLe will be happening ;)**

**Thank you guys for reviewing! Wuv you!**

**Now, for the chappie! **

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~Chapter Three – My Weird Dorm-mates (Pt. 2)~

Cana laughs long and loud, slapping her hand onto my shoulder. Ouch. "Blondie – I mean, Lucy, it looks like you have an alcoholic tendency too! Join the club!" She wiggles her beer barrel in my face, in what she thinks is a tempting manner. Not.

"I don't have alcoholic tendencies!" I yelp. Do I? No! …Maybe?

Levy looks at me with her big brown orbs, shocked. "You have alcoholic tendencies?"

Didn't I say I _don't_? "_No_." I say forcefully.

"That's what you say, bunny girl," The emo guy chuckles, smirking cockily again.

"What Gajeel said," Natsu sniggers, that grin of his never leaving his face.

"Ugh!" I stamp my foot, my hands planted on my hips. "_I – do – not – have – alcoholic – tendencies!_"

"Whoa, Luce, I was just kidding!" Natsu raises his hand up in surrender. Luce…? Inside my head, I'm jumping around joyfully, yelling '_Natsu just called me _Luce'!

Just so you know, fangirl habits die hard.

Outside my head, predictably, I blush, bashfully lowering my head so my curtain of blonde hair moves forward to hide my face. Natsu, being the dense person he appears to be, does not notice. I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved.

Gajeel snorts from behind me. _He _noticed the blush, alright. Levy giggles quietly, still blushing like a rosy apple. What is wrong with that girl? Don't tell me she has a crush on Gajeel!

There's a faint swish of a door and a beautiful, blue-eyed girl with her white hair in a bob sticks her head into the room, expression quizzical. She reminds me of someone, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Hmm…"Um, what's happening?" She asks. She looks puzzled, but there's a smile crinkling her lips anyway. She seems like a smiley type of girl, and I immediately like her. "I thought I heard someone yelling."

"Oh hey, Lisanna." A big, hulking guy reclined comfortably in the middle of the couch greets, his voice deep and bass. He has sticky-up blonde hair and there's a curious lightning-shaped scar down his eye. A luxurious, fur-lined coat is spread gracefully around him, making him look like some kind of king. "It's just a couple of our new dorm-mates. Their names are Levy and Lucy." He shoots us a look, and I jump a mile in the air and almost friggin' stand to attention. Like Erza, he effortlessly controls people without lifting a finger.

"OK, then. Thanks, Laxus." Lisanna directs her gaze to me and Levy, her shining smile brightening. "So you're some of our new dorm-mates?" She rushes over to us and shakes both of our hands vigourously. She's the most normal person I've met so far, and I feel like crying in relief. That's how desperate I was to get in touch with normality again.

"Yeah! Hi, Lisanna!" I say enthusiastically, shaking her hand back with equal vigour.

"Hey," Levy echoes, and I can see my emotions reflected on her face – relief, admiration, and excitement.

"Lisanna! You're back already?" Natsu calls from behind me, grinning. He's still smiling? Don't his cheek muscles cramp up? Mine are already tired, and I've smiled like, three times today, whereas Natsu has been flashing that grin all day. Oh, and except when he was fighting Gray, of course.

"Yup. Mira-nee said she didn't need any more help, so I just came up here instead."

Mira-nee…? Then, suddenly everything clicks into place.

Mira-nee is _Mira-jane, _the most famous model of the _Flirty Fioreans. _No wonder why I found Lisanna familiar, being an avid reader of the magazine! They're sisters!

"OK. So what do you think of Luce and Levy?" Natsu asks, stretching his arms above his pink crazy head and yawning so widely I think his jaw might split in half. But luckily, it remains intact. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, they're awesome!" Lisanna agrees. Then…I realise something.

Very, very faintly, I see that Lisanna is blushing.

Blushing…

B – l – u – s – h – i – n – g.

_AH! _I finally realise what that means.

Lisanna likes Natsu!

I mean, I expected to have people rivalling for Natsu's attention, because he's gorgeous, but I didn't expect it to be the gorgeous sister of Mira-jane Strauss! Plus, I've just made friends with her! And that Laxus guy seemed interested in her, though…

Mentally, I clutch at my hair feverishly for a moment. Then I think, _people rivalling for Natsu's attention? He's gorgeous? _Ah! What is wrong with me? I can't have a crush on a guy I just met!

But…

I already know it's too late.

* * *

"Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?" A hand waves in front of my eyes, snapping me abruptly out of my madly swirling thoughts. I look up, my eyes focusing, to see it's Lisanna. She smiles demurely at me, effortlessly beautiful. _God, I have no chance with Natsu._

Ack! Lucy! Stop! Tapping my head hard, I then conjure up my best this-is-not-fake laugh. "Sorry. Just…zoned out a bit."

Lisanna gives me a strange look, a perfect eyebrow raised. "Um…is that why you were punching your head?"

Uh…didn't I do that mentally?

In the corner of my eye, I can see Levy muffling explosive laughter behind her hand and some distance away, I see Natsu openly releasing his laughter as he supports himself on the back of the couch, his chest heaving. I flick them both my best evil eye and they both struggle to contain their laughter.

Glad to be an amusement.

"S – sorry! I – I – I didn't mean to!" I stutter. God, I just embarrassed myself in front of _Lisanna_! A sick feeling of shame burns in my stomach.

Lisanna's sceptical face stays on her face for a millisecond, but then it's gone, replaced by a tinkling laugh. "Oh, Lucy, you're funny!" She sweeps a stray strand of silky hair off her forehead and grabs my hand unexpectedly. "Come on, I'll show you around to the other people! Levy, come with us!" She flaps her hand in the air, excited, and Levy bounds over. The shame is, thankfully, gone. I let my grin spread across my face and let Lisanna drag me and Levy over to two people.

One of them is a girl, and she looks incredibly sweet and young. Her long, shiny hair is blue, but a much darker blue than Levy's. It's scraped into two adorable high pigtails, and her wide chocolate eyes gaze up at us. Aww, she's so _kawaii_!

"H – hello…my name's W – Wendy," The girl stammers, before squeaking and burying her head into a cushion nearby.

"Wendy, it's fine," The guy next to her consoles, tentatively patting her back. As he does, a blush blossoms across his cheeks. Ahh! _Kawaii_ – ness again! "Don't be shy."

"OK, OK," Wendy says shakily, and emerges from the pillow, her face a magnificent pink from embarrassment. "S – sorry. I'm Wendy." She extends a slightly quivering hand for us to shake, and I feel my heart go out to her. Crouching down, I take her hand gently and whisper, "I'm Lucy. It's OK, Wendy, I'm new as well. Let's be newbies together, 'kay? Me, you, Levy and…?"

"Romeo," The guy sitting beside Wendy intervenes helpfully. Ha, Romeo? Like Romeo and Juliet. Except Wendy is Romeo's Juliet…I smile to myself.

"OK, newbies together, me, you, Levy, and Romeo –" I begin to say, but then the door suddenly creaks open and I glance over.

In the doorway, there stands a girl with blue hair (how many blue-haired girls are there?!) that is curled in a really weird way so that only the ends curve steeply up. On her head perches a stylish fur hat. Her eyes are framed with thick, sooty eyelashes and her actual eyeballs are a deep dark blue, which reminds me of water. Her pale hand is curled around a handle of a pink, frilly parasol. Inside.

"Juvia – chan!" Lisanna shouts excitedly, and scoots over to greet her. Juvia at first looks startled as Lisanna throws her arms around her shoulders but then her expression softens into one of kindness, immediately affected by Lisanna's happy-go-lucky manner. "Juvia – chan, I saw your name on the list and you were the only one I hadn't met yet, and I was really looking forward to it!"

"Really? Well, Juvia is touched." Uh…isn't _she _Juvia?

Gajeel's rough voice can be heard from across the room. "Juvia always speaks in third-person."

Really? Interesting. "Well, hello, Juvia!" I chip in, smiling and waving. "You're a newbie, like me, Wendy, Levy, and Romeo, right?"

"Yes, Juvia is new. So is Gajeel-san."

What? I didn't know that. He just seemed so…right with this group of people. "Oh, OK."

"Well, Juvia is pleased to meet you all –" She stops short, and suddenly a tint of red flushes on her cheeks. I follow her line of sight and see her eyes trained on…Gray, who is leaning casually against the wall by Gajeel and thankfully has his clothes on, although I swear I can see his hand straying to his shirt.

"That's Gray," Lisanna pipes up, seeing Juvia's blushing stare.

"He's a stripper!" I hear Natsu's somewhat distant voice and Gray's growl. "You wanna go, pyro? You wanna go?"

"STOP!" Erza barks, and at once the fight is over before it started. Ha, it's kind of pathetic.

"W – well…J – Juvia is – pleased to meet you…Gray – sama." Juvia manages to say, while clutching her chest. Wow, she's infatuated already! You shouldn't fall for someone that quickly. It's just not right.

God, I'm a hypocrite, aren't I? Groan.

"Hey, Juvia." Gray responds normally, and Juvia gasps and sinks to the floor, steam practically rising off her.

"G – Gray – sama talked to J – Juvia!" Juvia whispers in awe, her pink parasol abandoned beside her.

"Anyway," Lisanna coughs discreetly. "Maybe I should get around to showing you around now…"

Levy nods fervently. "Yeah, please do."

Ah! I just remembered! Wendy! I look back and see Wendy still looking expectantly at me with her huge eyes, waiting. Quickly, I take her hand again and tell her. "OK, so newbies, right? There's heaps of them here! We just found two more just then! So that's like…five!"

"Six," Levy cuts in, smirking.

Shooting her a 'shut up, Levy' look, I continue, "So don't be afraid, Wendy. You've got everyone. You've got me! You've got Romeo. OK?"

Wendy blushes. "Yeah…I've got you…and Romeo," She says quietly. Wendy's blush is matched with Romeo's.

"That's the spirit," I smile as gently as I can and stand up, feeling the bones in my legs crack. Ouch! I'm like a friggin' grandma! No offence to the grandmas out there, by the way.

"OK…" Lisanna takes our hands again. "Who haven't you met?"

Levy frowns, thinking. "No one…I think…"

"No, wait! The guy with the red tattoo under his eye!" I speak up suddenly, remembering when Erza gave him a look when I mentioned her surname. Levy's face lights up. "Oh, yeah! I think he's the one called Jellal!"

"Yeah, that's Jellal," Lisanna confirms, laughing. "Let's meet him."

It's a short walk to the edge of the couch, where Jellal is still sitting silently. He looks up briefly as we approach, his greenish-amber eyes searching us as we stand by him.

"This is Jellal," Lisanna announces, like he's an item at an auction or something. "He doesn't talk very much, so don't take it as an offence if he doesn't reply to you…"

"Hello, Jellal," I say cautiously, and his eyes land on me. He looks at me for a long while and finally mumbles very, very quietly, "Hello, Lucy Heartfillia."

Heartfillia?

What…

_Did Jellal really just say that?_

_Oh, no…_

* * *

**And that's it! My dreadful attempt at a cliffhanger, lol. **

**Review if you can, pweaseee :3 I love getting feedback from people!  
I'll try to update ASAP!**

**See you guys! J**


	4. Chapter 4 - Nakama

**Uwaaah, sorry that I didn't update! I had HOMEWORK TT-TT and I had to do it all on the night before the due day because I procrastinated to write more of Fairy Tail Academy. Sowwy! L**

**Review replying time! **

**xSocialButterflyx: Aw, you're sho shweet. Thank yew! And, in my opinion, you're not weird at all! You clearly haven't met me and my friends x3 O.o**

**TheGrammarQueen: Same! I hated him in the Tower of Heaven arc, but then I started liking him more and more as the anime progressed :D**

**And, disclaimer, I don't own Fairy Tail, Mashima – sensei does, blah blah…**

* * *

~Chapter Four - _Nakama_~

I screw my eyes shut, willing this to be a dream – no, a nightmare. This is just a nightmare, Lucy, don't freak out, just stay calm and pinch yourself…

As I grab the skin on my upper arm and squeeze, my hair practically stands on end in pain. _God, that hurts! _"Ow!" I shriek, and rub the red patch on my bicep. The pain quickly recedes, and I open my eyes again, expecting to be in the scratchy old bed I was renting at an inn I was staying at this morning.

Unfortunately, I am not at the inn. Every single person in the dorm is staring at me, their eyes wide. Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Wendy, Lisanna, and…I groan inwardly as my gaze lands on Natsu, whose face is slack, no longer smiling, and his mouth hanging open. I feel hot tears welling up in my eyes. What is he going to think of me now? He's going to hate me and send me back to my hellhole of a home…

Letting the tears spill over, I choke out, "I'm sorry, don't think badly of me, _minna_…"

And then, I tear towards the slightly ajar dorm-room door and I'm out in the corridor, the uncontrollable sobs making my chest heave violently. Stumbling blindly down the empty, dimly lit hallway, the tears obscuring my vision, I have to take in huge, unattractive-sounding gasps of air from the sobs constricting my throat. I can't believe it…why did Jellal say that? How did he know, anyway? I make my way quickly down the tiled stairs, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand. Everyone is going to hate me, aren't they? There goes my chance of escaping my old life and getting the education I dreamed of…

Suddenly, the tip of my boot catches on a step and I go tumbling down the rest of the flight of stairs, the edges striking bruises all over my whirling body. I don't even open my mouth. I'm too preoccupied with another pain – the pain like a knife stuck inside my poor heart, thinking about returning to my father and the gawping faces of my newly-made friends.

Finally, I reach the landing where the stairs twist to accompany the wall and land hard, my butt painfully taking the fall. Here I huddle, against the wall, my face buried in my knees, feeling my sweaty blonde strands fall over my legs…and I cry.

I cry for my lost education. I cry at the thought of my enraged father. I cry for the friends I'll never get to know better. I cry…I cry for Natsu…someone I really wanted to be friends – or more than friends – with, and now I can't.

"Lucy."

My head jerks up, and it's then I realise how horrible I look. I can feel my mascara sliding down my flushed, mottled cheeks and the eyeliner spread around my eyes. I probably look like a panda. My blonde hair is sticking hotly to my forehead, and the small half-ponytail that rests on the side of my head is falling out. All over my legs are big, bold, beautiful bruises that are now edged with green. Urgh. I realise these imperfections even more when I see the person standing in front of me is Natsu. Him, out of all people!

"Lucy, I…" He starts to say, but then his eyes widen as he sees the bruises on my legs. "Luce, you're hurt! You're _bleeding!_"

I peer down at my limbs and see the red oozing out of numerous large cuts. I touch my face and it comes away bloody. "Oh, I am," I say expressionlessly, my voice still somewhat shaky from crying. Then I turn my face away. "Don't look at me…"

"Why?" Natsu's gentle voice is startlingly near my ear and I turn my head, and I almost faint when I see his face right by mine, smiling. What's there to smile about? Nothing! "Stop smiling!" I say crossly, trying to wipe the mascara tear streaks off my cheeks.

Natsu's smile widens. "And why should I stop?"

"There's nothing to smile about!" I let the tears flood my eyes again, and my attempts at getting my mascara-tears off are wasted.

I feel warm arms encircling me, and I immediately feel my sobs calm down. Natsu's…hugging me? I slowly avert my eyes up and see that he is, indeed, hugging me, his concerned onyx eyes meeting mine. Whoa. _Wayyy _too close.

"Luce." He starts talking, quietly and fast, as if wanting to tell me as soon as possible. "We all knew you were a Heartfillia. We were surprised at first, because we knew your family is a famous name in Fiore but we didn't know why you were here. We came to the conclusion that you ran away. But, Luce, _we didn't care_! Everyone has their differences, and this happens to be yours. But that doesn't stop us from becoming good friends! Gajeel used to be a thief, but we don't care! Gray is a stripper, but we don't care! Cana is an alcoholic, but. We. Don't. Care!" Natsu grabs both of my hands, squeezing them tight. "We're not going to tell anyone, Luce, if you don't want us to. We're _nakama. _I would never do anything you didn't want me to do.

"When you ran off, we were all shocked but I knew why you did it – you were afraid to go back and lose your education at Fairy Tail Academy. Right?"

"No," I say without hesitation.

Natsu raises an eyebrow, still clutching my hands tightly. "Then…what?"

"I'm afraid to go back and lose my education here…but I also was afraid I would lose my friends. I was afraid I would lose…you." Oh, God, did I really just say that? A blush warms my face up.

Natsu stares at me, and suddenly a blush unfolds on _his _face as well. Ah! Awkward. Why did I say that?

"W – well, um," Natsu clears this throat, "I was afraid of losing you too."

Aww. He's so cute.

"OK, uh, anyway. Being _nakama _means to stay by their side, and loving them unconditionally. So, Luce, no one is judging you. Come back to the dorm. Please."

I flick my gaze downwards, biting my lip. "But then…why were they looking at me weirdly before I left?"

Natsu looks at me quizzically for a second, then recognition dawns on his face. "Oh! Lucy…" His voice ends in a burbling laugh. His laugh is just so vibrant, humorous, full of life – I just want to listen to it and see his larger-than-life grin every day. "That wasn't because of your last name! That was because you pinched yourself!" Then he starts rolling around, laughing and laughing and laughing.

What? _That _was why they were looking at me? "Really?"

"Yes!" He manages to reply, before he dissolves in giggles again.

Rolling my eyes, I kick him. Hard. "Stop!"

"Ouch!" Natsu sits bolt-upright, his hand clutching his backside. "Luceeeeee, that hurt!"

"Good! It's my Lucy – Kick. I expect you to get very familiar with it." I support myself against the wall and, despite my banged-up legs, I manage to stand up shakily. "Now, let's go."

Natsu looks up. "Where?" He asks cluelessly. That boy is as dense as a friggin' rock.

Sighing, I tell him, "Back to the _dorm_!"

"Ohhh!" Natsu half-shouts in his epiphany. "OK, let's go!" Then, unexpectedly, he loops his arm behind my back and I feel his strong, warm arm against me. It feels good, like he – literally – has my back.

"Hey, why are you doing that?" I squeal nevertheless, squirming. Then a streak of pain shoots up both legs, and I crumple, with Natsu supporting me just in time.

"That's why," Natsu grins, and helps me hop up the stairs, with me relenting grudgingly.

That's what it looks like on the outside, anyway. On the inside, I'm practically _dying _because of this boy. Does he not realise the things he does to me?

But one thing that warms my heart is Natsu's _nakama _statement, how they always stay by their side and love them unconditionally. For a dense guy, he can actually be quite wise. To know that I'm Natsu's _nakama, _in the very least, makes my face grow warm and I feel all cosy and protected.

Before we know it, we're standing in front of the door. Despite the feel of Natsu's strong body close to me, I feel nervousness bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. What if they _don't _accept me? What if I'm not their _nakama_? What if –

Natsu whispers in my ear, making me start. "It's OK, Luce."

Nodding resolutely, I feel the apprehensiveness fade away. Natsu reaches for the doorknob of the door which blocks me from my fate. Then he stops, his hand hovering above the shiny gold metal.

"W – what?" I ask, my teeth kind of chattering.

"It's about Lisanna," He says slowly.

My heart goes cold. What about her…? Is he going to tell me that he likes her or something? Swallowing the lump in my throat, I snap, "What about her? Do you like her or something?" Oh, Lucy, why are you so _stupid _sometimes?

Natsu looks shocked. "No! Luce, she's just a childhood friend! What I was going to say was that…" A sheepish smile appears on his lips and he scratches his head bashfully. Natsu, _bashful_? That's an oxymoron.

"Well…I've seen the way you look at her, like she's a rock star or a celebrity or goddess of beauty something. Just because she's the sister of the model Mira-jane, you don't have to be like that, OK? She's a normal person. Plus…" At this point, his face has become the colour of his hair. "Uh…I like you just the way you are."

Wow. That's as cheesy as you can get.

But, of course, I happen to be a sucker for those kind of things.

I turn my head to one side, my face as pink as Natsu's.

"OK, I will. And uh…thanks."

Natsu smiles that adorable bashful smile and quickly looks at the doorknob to hide his face. "So…are you ready?"

"As ready as can be," I say, smiling.

"OK! Let's do this!" Natsu keeps his arm firmly on my back, opens the door, and taking a deep breath, we duck into our dorm.

* * *

I lie on my bed, my hands tucked beneath my head, looking straight up at the unadorned ceiling.

It turns out that in the Fairy Tail Academy dorms, you get your own little room. The room where everyone was gathered was the common room/lounge, which is like the central place. There are two doors that lead off from there, one to the girls and one to the boys. So we don't all have to sleep together, which I thought at first. Thank God. But we all still count as one room.

I'm here because I don't really want to talk to anyone anymore, after the gushing 'are you okay's' and the 'we're sorry's' that ensued after Natsu and I walked back into the dorm. I was grateful at first, but after a while it got a bit repetitive. But still, I feel bad for ever doubting them.

The only person I really want to see now is Natsu, but he's not allowed in the girl's dorms. All the guys aren't allowed, and vice versa. Erza and Lisanna showed me here, then tactfully left without a word, seeing I was tired out and just wanted to be alone for a bit.

I don't deserve their kindness, do I?

Hugging my snowman/doggy plushie I called Plue ages ago, I fiddle with the carrot nose and sigh. There's no point being a grumpy butt! After all, I've got a whole three years ahead of me to enjoy, and anything could happen in it! A small smile spreads across my face.

I check my glow-in-the-dark alarm clock. Six thirty. I'd better start getting ready, since Erza told me the school cafeteria starts serving dinner at seven.

Slowly, I unfold myself from the fluffy sheets and unlatch my suitcase. Now this is what I love about choosing my outfit for whatever occasion: to mix and match and find some long-lost hair-tie or adorable skirt.

Slipping the bow out of my hair holding the half-ponytail up, I flick my music on and start sorting out my mess of folded clothes. Forgetting that there are twelve other friggin' people in this building, I start singing really loudly, swaying my hips to the rhythm. God, this song is catchy!

_"Never break a sweat for the other guys_

_But when you come around I get paralysed. _

_And every time I try to be myself,_

_It comes out wrong like a cry for help…"_

"LUCY!" I hear someone shout over the music, and then I realise how loud I was playing it. Oops. And I've sorted like, one outfit. Rushing for my music player, I tap a button and spin around, smiling sheepishly.

It's Levy, and she's grinning with one hand on her thin hips and one on the open door. "Geez, Lu – chan, I called you like fifty times." She shimmies into the room and plops herself on my bed, closing the door with a clunk behind her.

"Hey! Don't just invite yourself in." I laugh, half-annoyed and half-amused. Why the hell did I think she was timid when I first met her? She's like a mini devil.

Levy ignores me, lying back on my bed with a sigh, kicking her feet high. "Hey, Lu – chan…" She says.

"Yeah?" I reply distractedly, finding a sock and not being able to find the other one. Ah! I hate it when that happens! Then as soon as I give up, it's going to appear. It's just sock logic.

"Are you okay after that – incident?" She asks tentatively. I look back at her and see she has sat up on the bed now, and is bowing her head and not meeting my eyes. Aw. I guess she isn't really that much of a devil. Levy can be sweet – if she wants to.

"Yes, I'm fine!" I divert my attention to the suitcase and dig around in there, pulling out the second sock. Aha! I found it. "You don't need to worry, Levy – chan. I do feel a bit embarrassed, though, that I ran away…"

"No, no one minds, Lu – chan. Everyone's basically forgotten about it."

"Good." I shake out my favourite blue-and-white vest shirt and start hunting around for the skirt that goes with it. "Levy – chan, don't just sit there! Help me sort out this stuff!"

"Oh! OK." Levy slips off the bed and with one smooth move of her wrist, she has pulled out the skirt I was agonizing over from the mess of clothes in my suitcase. How did she do that?

"You're good at this!" I grumble.

Levy sticks out her tongue. "Maybe you're just _bad _at it, Lu – chan!"

I swat her with Plue. "I am not!"

"Are too!" Levy dodges the second swing of Plue and snatches it out of my hands, hugging it tightly to her chest. "Now, spill, Lu – chan."

Huh? "Spill what?" I raise an eyebrow cluelessly.

"About _Natsu_!" Levy rolls her large eyes, her mouth curling. "You're smitten!"

My face grows red and I hastily crouch down, pretending to sort some more clothes to hide my growing blush. "I – I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! It's so obvious. It's just that Natsu's a bit dense! That's why he hasn't noticed. Everyone else has." Levy giggles, winking cheekily at me.

"_What?_" I choke on my own saliva and wind up coughing on the floor, clutching my chest. "How do they know?"

Levy ignores my question and instead sings, "You just admitted you like him!" Then she tackles me, her evil face close to mine. Here comes the Levy Devil again. "Just say it! Say it!"

"N – No!" I squeak, while my breath comes in short puffs from the weight of Levy on my chest.

"Say it!" She bellows, and then brings out the ultimate weapon of torture.

Tickling.

I feel her spidery fingers creep up the sides of my torso and I shudder. Then suddenly, they're in my armpits, tickling the friggin' life out of me.

"S – stop!" I scream, my eyes watering. "OK, OK – _I like him_!"

Levy immediately sits back, a triumphant expression plastered over her face. "There! I knew it." She hops off from me and I wipe my moist eyes, trying to support my quaking body with equally quake – y arms.

"That wasn't fair, Levy – chan! That was blackmail!" I whine, managing to finally sit up. Levy just smiles and crosses her arms against her chest, satisfied.

Then I remember…that girl has a crush too! On _Gajeel, _out of all people. That girl is weird. "Hey, Levy – chan! You have a crush too, remember?"

Levy's face blossoms with red and she clutches her cheeks, diving into my mess of fluffy blankets. "I don't!" Her voice is muffled against the bed.

"You do! If you don't admit it, revenge will be friggin' sweet!" I yell, and then I leap onto Levy, wiggling my fingers in anticipation.

"N – no! Stop! OK, OK – _I like him!" _Levy screeches, repeating exactly what I was doing a mere ten seconds ago. Laughing, I slide off the bed. "Good, so we both know each other's crushes. So no blackmailing now, Levy – chan."

"Fine!" She flaps off the bed, disgruntled. "That was _so _not fair."

"Says you!" I retort, grabbing my pink brush that I laid next to my mirror and dragging it through my tangled hair.

"Well, you didn't tell me you liked Natsu –" Levy starts to say loudly, but suddenly my door slams open and with a squeal, I stumble back and trip over my own feet, landing butt-first straight into my suitcase.

All the girls – Erza, Cana, Lisanna, Juvia and Wendy – are standing in the doorway, smiling. Levy squeals and flushes furiously. "Um…did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Cana slurs, looking kind of bare without her gigantic beer barrel. "I didn't hear anything, just some yelling."

"Juvia did not hear anything."

"Why?" Lisanna asks curiously, peeking out from behind Erza's shoulder.

"Nothing!" I quickly say, and scrape my hair quickly back into the half-ponytail. "Why are you guys here, anyway?"

Erza points to the clock on my bedside. Six fifty-nine. Oh God! "It's time to go to the cafeteria."

"Ah! Guys, could you give us a bit of time to get ready?" I ask, discarding the brush and snatching up the blue-and-white shirt.

"OK, OK." Lisanna smiles, and then beckons Levy, who jumps off the bed and slips out the door, going to her own room to get dressed. "Well, come down to the cafeteria soon though!"

I hear Wendy pipe up, "We'll meet you there!" And they're gone.

Speedily, I peel off my uniform and wriggle into the blue-and-white vest and skirt. Gosh, they're a bit tight. My boobs are like practically spilling over. Oh well. I give myself one last fleeting glance in the mirror and I'm out of the door, seeing Levy come out of her door at the exact same time. Grinning, I call, "Levy – chan, over here!"

"Oh, Lu – chan!" She scoots over and eyes my shirt. "Well, isn't _that _a bit revealing?"

"Shut up!" I poke her. "It's not."

"Well, Natsu wouldn't be able to resist you," She teases, making me blush bright red.

"Stop!" I protest, but then I stop talking immediately, seeing someone's figure move out in the lounge. Hasn't everyone left by now?

"Oh, Luce!" I hear someone shout cheerfully in recognition and they peek their head around the doorway to the lounge. My heart skips a beat.

It's Natsu.

Did he hear that?

"H – hi, Natsu!" I squeak, moving my head so my hair slides over my face. "Haven't you gone to eat dinner by now?"

"Nope. I was waiting for you!" Natsu replies, leaning against the wall, his muscled arms crossed. Ah, he looks so cute in that green sweater! "So, are you coming or not?"

"Oh! Sorry." I step over and look up at him. Isn't he sweet, waiting for me? Then I see something that ruins the whole atmosphere.

Natsu's eyes aren't on me…well, they are, but to be specific…he's looking at my chest.

I feel my face grow warm and resist the urge to slap his face away. Instead, I cough discreetly and suggest as loud as I can without yelling, "Natsu, can we go now?"

"Oh, uh – what?" Natsu shakes his head slightly and, thankfully, switches his gaze up to me, his face rosy. "Um – sorry – OK, we can go."

We're about to leave when I remember – _Levy. _I glance back to see she's still standing there, looking lost and slightly hurt. "Levy – chan! Sorry, you can come with us!"

Levy gives a small smile and starts making her way towards us. But, I can tell that she's sad that Natsu came to get me – and Gajeel didn't come to get her.

Before Levy can reach us, however, Natsu looks back and says, "Oh, Levy, Gajeel's waiting for you outside the dorm. He said something about wanting to get to know the 'shrimp' better."

Levy's whole face lights up, and the worry drains straight out of me. I give her a quick, hopefully unnoticeable thumbs up and she flicks me one back, winking. "See you at the cafeteria, Lu – chan! Have fun!"

_Have fun_? I roll my eyes at her but Levy's already gone, through the doorway and out the dorm.

Then I think – this is awkward.

It's just me and Natsu in the dorm…

"Well, should we go?" Natsu says quietly, shuffling his feet.

"Uh, yeah…" I mumble, and we start to move towards the door. But then, he suddenly grasps my shoulder and I spin around, a tint of pink gracing my cheeks. "Um, what?"

A wide smile is glued across his face. "Just so you know…you're a pretty good singer, Luce."

* * *

**Yay! Done!**

**So much NaLu at the start *_* at least, that's what I think. If there was any more, I would've exploded from all the feels. Then, some girl-bonding with Levy!**

**Anyway, I've got an awesome chapter next for you guys :D BE EXCITED!**

**Also, the song that was in this chapter is 'Heart Attack' by Demi Lovato. I think it describes the situation with Lucy and Natsu quite well *wink, wink***

**See you guys! Remember to review or follow or favourite if you guys can. Btw, I appreciate the reviews and follows and favourites so far! You guys rock!**

**Byeeee!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Truth or Dare?

**Ahh, another day I skipped ;-; sorry, guys! Just to warn you, this might happen a lot since, sadly, I have school and homework and stuff…**

**Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites!**

**GoldenRoseTanya: Lolwut? 0_0**

**visitor: Yes, but not a whole lot since NaLu is the focus in this story :D**

**TheGrammarQueen: Yus, it eeees~ and you'll find out in this chapter, so don't worry!**

**Btw, this is the awesome chapter I promised…so I hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I dun own Fairy Tail ;-;**

* * *

~Chapter Five – Truth or Dare?~

"This is delicious!" Levy yells from next to me, but I can barely hear her. God, this place is loud! Sounds of clattering cutlery and the roar of amiable chatter surrounds me as I spoon mouthfuls of the indeed delicious Neapolitan icecream into my mouth. For the main course it was spaghetti, which was slathered in yummy homemade tomato sauce and there was vegetarian pasta for the non-meat-eating people out there, such as Wendy and Lisanna.

Now we're just about to finish dessert, and I see people beginning to wander out of the cafeteria, finished with their meal. Natsu is leaning back in the chair diagonal from mine, hands tucked casually behind his head and his plates scraped clean long ago. He seems to be waiting for all of us to finish, though, because he hasn't left yet.

Wendy is sitting next to me, swinging her legs and picking at her icecream. Then she looks up at me, her eyes smiley and wide. "Lucy – san, if you're wondering why Natsu – san hasn't left, it's because we're planning to leave together, all of us, and play a game of Truth or Dare tonight," She informs me, looking quite excited.

Truth or Dare…I haven't played that since fifth grade, practically. Back then, the craziest the dares got up to was 'jump onto the table and come back down after five seconds' and all the truths were 'who's your crush?'. But now that we're a lot older, I guess the truths and dares will be a lot more…entertaining. "OK! Sounds good." As I say that, my mind wanders to the dares that might be proposed. Kisses? Immediately, I think of Natsu and me being dared to do that…

Lucy, what is wrong with you? Blinking hard and trying to forget the thought, I instead distract myself with the truths. My eyes slide to Jellal, who is sitting all the way at the end of the table next to Erza, and they're conversing quietly, a slight blush just visible on Erza's pale cheeks. How did Jellal know I was a Heartfillia? Even though Levy told me that the matter was over, I can't help but wonder.

Well, at least I know what I'm doing for my turn – if Jellal happens to choose Truth.

"All right, is everyone finished?" Cana stands up, swaying slightly. "It's Truth or Dare time, y'all!"

Quickly, I wolf down the rest of my dessert and push my chair back, my stomach bubbling a bit with excitement. This is going to be fun! Right? "Come on, Levy – chan, Wendy!" I extend my hand to them.

Levy jumps out of her seat, smiling, but Wendy shakes her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Lucy – san, Levy – san, I have to wait for Romeo," She tells us, twirling a pigtail coyly.

"Oh, OK." I give her a knowing wink which makes her blush bright red and instead beckon Lisanna, who gives us a slight grin and starts to make our way to us – but then suddenly grimaces and comes to a halt, as if remembering something. "Oh, sorry, guys, I can't go with you! I just remembered, I gotta wait for Laxus," She calls, then skips over to him and grabs his fur-coated arm. Laxus looks surprised, and then the smallest of smiles appears on his angular face. He looks different when he smiles; more approachable, I guess.

"That's OK!" Levy shouts back, and then she waves her hand in the air and tries to catch Juvia's attention. But instead, she's sticking by Gray, swooning and talking animatedly to him, and doesn't notice Levy's wave.

Sighing, I say, "I think everyone's going with someone. See, look…" I point to Erza and Jellal, who exit the caf, side by side, along with the others, leaving just me, Levy, Natsu, and Gajeel at the table…

"Hey, Lucy, Levy!" I spin around and see Cana, who joins us, taking our hands. Oh, I forgot about Cana! "Come on, girls. All the other girls seem to be leaving with a guy, so we'll just go together."

As quick as I can, I shoot a glance over my shoulder as we leave the cafeteria and see Natsu and Gajeel staring at us, their faces set into one of…loss?

I turn my head back, gulping down a lump of guilt. Surely they couldn't have been expecting us to walk with them? Then we would've looked like a couple or something!

Not that I would've minded.

"Stop staring at the guys, Levy, Lucy!" Cana berates reproachfully, and I see Levy was looking back as well. We give each other sheepish grins over Cana's thin shoulders. "I mean, they're cute and everything, but you guys can keep your eyes off them for two seconds, right?"

"We weren't ogling them!" I protest, but my pleas are lost by Cana's raucous laugh.

"You girls can't take a joke, can you?" She cackles, wrapping her arms around our shoulders.

"Very funny," Levy rolls her eyes, despite the pink flush on her face.

"Girls, stop complaining – tonight will be fun!" Cana flashes a smile at us. "It's Truth or Dare time!"

* * *

We're all sitting in a circle in the lounge, with Natsu standing right in the middle of it, his trademark grin stretching from ear to ear.

"OK, _minna_! We're gonna play a game of Truth or Dare! Everyone knows the rules, right?" There's a general murmur of assent. "Good! But the people who didn't go to my school won't know our _special _rules." Levy, Juvia, Wendy, Romeo and I exchange worried looks. _Special _rules? That doesn't sound too good…

Gajeel, on the other hand, yells, "Bring it, Natsu!"

"All right, sheesh!" Natsu glares at Gajeel, who glares back. "So at the start, someone begins with choosing someone and asking if they want a truth or a dare, like normal. But you don't get off easily if you refuse the truth or dare someone gives you! If you do refuse, you have to pick someone in the room to do it for you."

"That doesn't sound so bad…" I start to say, relieved, but Natsu turns to me, his grin turning evil.

"_But,_ that's your only life. When you get a truth or dare from someone again, you _have _to do it, otherwise the person who gave you the truth or dare chooses someone in the room for you to kiss."

_What?_

Natsu smirks at me. "Still think it's not so bad?"

"No," I squeak, hiding my peachy face behind my hands. Levy pats me on the back, looking equally apprehensive.

This isn't a game of Truth or Dare for me anymore; it's a game of life or death.

"_Yosh, _let's start!" Natsu punches a hand in the air, undeterred. That guy is unbelieveable. How is he not scared, a least a bit? "I choose…Gray!"

_Phewf! _Off from the hook for now. Gray gives a start and looks up.

"Truth or Dare?" Natsu asks evilly, narrowing his obsidian eyes.

"Dare! Give me your best, flame-for-brains!" Gray crows without hesitation.

Natsu gives a triumphant snicker and yells, "Gray, I dare you to strip down and write 'I love everyone' in rainbow on your stomach and run around the campus!""

Oh, God. These dares are intense.

Gray looks stricken. "W – what? No way!"

"What? You get naked all the time!" Natsu sneers, smirking.

"Yeah…but not with 'I love everyone' on my stomach!" He yells, then screeches, "Ah, _DAMN IT!_" Then he throws his clothes off with amazing speed. Then he demands, "Bring the rainbow marker, right now!"

"Oh, Gray – sama!" Juvia falls backwards into Lisanna's lap in awe. "You're so manly!"

I give Lisanna a quick, sympathetic look and she makes a face back at me.

Romeo unfolds himself from the floor with a sigh and asks, "Natsu – nii, where's the marker?"

"In my room, on the desk!" Natsu sings gleefully, circling around Gray like a vulture. Gray seems mortified, even if he's naked all the time, with everyone's eyes trained on him. "Oi, snow-cone. I didn't know you had the guts to do this."

"Well, I do, pyro idiot! Shut up!" He snaps back, trying to cover himself up. "Get ready when it's my turn!"

"I got it, Natsu – nii!" Romeo hurtles back into the room, his dark-purple hair flapping, brandishing the rainbow-coloured marker. "I'm not writing on his stomach, though, someone else do it!" He ditches the pen into Natsu's hand and rushes to sit back next to Wendy, who is covering her eyes with her hands.

"Laxus, you do it!" Natsu throws the pen in a wide arc towards the calmly sitting Laxus, who catches it smoothly and says, "Fine."

He advances towards Gray, whose face resembles a tomato. Expressionlessly, Laxus slaps Gray's shielding hands and quickly writes 'I love everyone' in flawless writing. Then he tosses the marker to Natsu and sits back down. How did he friggin' do that without a blink?

"_Minna, _let's go!" Natsu announces, and busts open the door. "Remember, Gray, no covering up!"

"_Screw you_!" Gray shrieks, and takes off down the corridor, his arms wide open and his legs pumping fast. Everyone sprints after him.

I start laughing. I can't help it. We must look like psychos, especially Gray, running down the corridor like this. As I watch, I can see people standing around gasping and shielding their eyes with their hands and I can hear the choruses of 'ew's that echo down the corridor.

Above everyone else's laughter, I can hear Natsu's, loud and lively and loveable as Gray runs furiously down the stairs.

* * *

"OK, round two!" Natsu tells us cheerfully, when we're back in the lounge, panting a bit. Gray is huddled in a corner with a soapy sponge, trying to rub off the 'I love everyone' plastered on his stomach. "Gray, you choose!"

Gray throws the sponge aside and it lands squarely on Natsu's face. "I'll tell you who I want to choose!" Gray shouts, his voice swelling in anger. "_You_, Natsu! You will regret giving me that dare!"

"Whatever, Gray! Because _I _am choosing _Truth_!" Natsu says smugly, wiping the suds from the sponge off his face.

"Bastard, taking the easy way out," Gray hisses. "OK, Truth then! Hm…" He taps his chin briefly, and then a terrifying smile spread across his face. "Which girl in here do you like the most, romantically?"

The room is silent. Levy shoots me a look.

My heart jumps. Who will he say…?

Natsu is frozen, stunned.

No prizes for guessing who I'm hoping he'll say.

"Um," Natsu begins to stammer, brushing a bubblegum strand of hair off his forehead embarrassedly.

"_Well, _Natsu?" Gray practically licks his lips in anticipation.

"I'm going to…I'm going to have to say…Lucy," Natsu spits out, and my heart stops. Like, fully stops.

"I knew it!" Gray punches his shoulder. Gajeel just gives that laugh 'Gee-hee'.

Levy nudges me, hard. "Natsu likes you!" She mouths, looking excited.

I clutch my chest, where my heart has started beating again, but abnormally fast. Finally, the information has begun to process in my brain. _He likes me_?

"OK!" Natsu says quickly, changing the subject and avoiding my eyes. "I already had a shot, so I'll choose someone to choose someone else for a truth or dare. I choose L – L – Lucy," Natsu says all in a rush, and then looks confused at why he said my name.

"Um, sure," I say, and cheer inwardly for not stuttering.

Standing up, I announce, "I choose Jellal. Truth or Dare?"

Thankfully, my voice is clear and I meet his eyes and don't look away. _Please say Truth, please say Truth…_

Jellal looks at me knowingly through his mess of blue hair. I swear I can see a smile on his lips. "Truth, Lucy."

"How did you know I was a Heartfillia?" I ask immediately. Levy raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment.

"That was a lame Truth, Lucy! Make it better!" Cana yells, but Erza shushes her.

"I saw you once," Jellal answers quietly. Everyone instantly falls silent, for some reason, as Jellal keeps talking. "Only once. You were out with who I think was your father, and there were bodyguards all around. I will never forget how sad and lost you looked there: that's why I remembered you, Lucy."

"Oh," I say, and slide to the ground with a bump. Wow…I think I remember that. It was the first time I had been outside the Hearfillia mansion grounds since I was four, and my mother had just died… "Thank you, Jellal."

"Are you OK, Lu – chan?" Levy asks in a low voice and I nod wordlessly.

Jellal inclines his head and then says, "Erza. Truth or Dare?"

"Huh?" Erza starts, and looks up at Jellal nervously. Erza, nervous? What has this game done to us? "Um, Dare."

"I dare you to put your Seduction Armour on for the rest of the game." Jellal is… _blushing? _

Erza's face blends in with her vivid hair. "OK, fine," She accepts shakily, and jumps up and is gone, through the girls' rooms.

"Jellal! You dirty boy!" Natsu explodes, banging his fists on the ground. He's recovered from _his _dare, it seems. "I didn't know you had that in you!"

"How did you even know she had a set of Seduction Armour? Oh yeah, and why does she even have it in the first place?" Gajeel raises a pierced eyebrow, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Jellal ignores the first question, still glowing red. "She collects armour." Those are all the words of wisdom we can get out of him after that – he refuses to answer all the questions Natsu, Gray and Gajeel fire at him.

"Ahem," Erza coughs by the doorway, and in unison, everyone's heads turn towards her figure in the doorway.

My mouth drops open.

That is so…provocative…yet so…_cute_!

Perched on top of her hair, which is tied into low pigtails, is two cat ears. A mere wisp of lacy fabric covers her chest and there's a very long stretch of tanned, flat stomach until another piece of lace interrupts the skin. Then there's knee-high boots the exact same colour as her hair, ending in stiletto-sharp heels and in her sweaty hand is a long, thin sword, which has the words 'Come on Boy' imprinted on them.

There's absolute deafening silence, until Laxus breaks in casually: "How is that even armour, Erza?"

"Well, my goal is to collect every single design of armour in the world," Erza tells us sheepishly, hugging the sword tightly to her chest. "And it counts this one, too."

Jellal clears his throat awkwardly. "OK, Erza, choose somebody."

Erza settles down next to Romeo in the circle, who looks slightly disturbed. "Lisanna, Truth or Dare?" Erza asks, and Lisanna looks startled, as if not expecting to be asked at all.

"Uh, Dare, I guess."

"Kiss the guy you are most attracted to in this room right now," Erza says promptly, and Lisanna gasps, looking frantic.

"U – um, I'll pass! I'll give the dare to – to…" Lisanna's eyes lock onto me.

_No. She wouldn't dare._

"…Lucy!" My eyes go wide. She cannot be serious!

"You have to do it, Lucy," Erza twirls the sword in her hands, as if daring me to do otherwise.

"OK. OK," I inhale and exhale slowly and rise from the floor, avoiding everyone's eyes.

I. Am. Going. To. Kiss. Natsu.

I lift my head and make eye contact with him, who looks startled, then alarmed, then embarrassed.

It seems like a dream. My legs move sluggishly, like they're trapped in jelly, and I agonizingly make my way to him, everyone else just mere smudges of colour in the background. It's only him, and me…and I'm going to kiss him.

Finally, I've reached him. Reaching out, my arms go around his neck, and I'm about to do it, I really am, his breath is warm on my face, his eyes are closed…

"STOP!" A voice yells, and I snap my head back, my eyes screwed shut, and my hands slip off Natsu's hot neck. Spinning around, I see that it's Levy, who's standing up and raising her hand in the air. "I'll do it. I'll do the dare!"

"W – what? Levy, I don't think you can –" Erza begins to contradict, but Levy's already halfway across the circle, towards a confused Gajeel. I pull away from Natsu like a scared cat, blushing crazily, and he just smiles gently at me.

A second later, Levy has grabbed Gajeel's shirt in her fist and she roughly pulls him towards her…and they're kissing.

Immediately, the room fills with whoops and cheers. Wendy claps, Lisanna wolf-whistles, Juvia complains that she didn't get to kiss 'Gray-sama', Laxus rolls his eyes, Cana cat-calls, and Erza smiles and yells, "Go, Levy!"

After what seems like an hour, they finally break away from each other, with Levy panting slightly and Gajeel _smiling _goofily. "That was awesome, shrimp!" I hear him smirk over the ecstatic yells, and Levy just gives him a 'hmph!' and stalks away, her cheeks stained with pink, and hurries towards me.

"Lu – chan, are you OK?" She asks.

"I should be asking that to _you_!" I admonish, but hug her tight. I notice that she's a bit shaky. "Why did you do that?"

Levy peers over my shoulder and I remember that Natsu is still behind me. I look around and give her a very small, embarrassed smile, and he returns it. "I'm sorry, Natsu," I say quietly.

"It's OK…" He runs a hand through his crazy hair. "This doesn't make anything awkward between us, right?"

"No way!" I smile at him widely and he gives me one of his gorgeously sharp-teethed ones.

Levy tugs me away, away from Natsu's hearing range. "Well, you seemed really scared, so I did the dare for you!" She whispers.

"I was at the start, but I wasn't so much when I was about to kiss him!" I hiss back. "You looked like _you _enjoyed it, Levy – chan!"

"I – I actually did," She ruffles her blue hair, grinning. "OK, sorry, next time there's a situation like this, I won't interrupt, Lu – chan."

"Good!" I roll my eyes. "Just when I was going to hook up with him –"

"_Minna_, we should stop playing," Gray's deep voice can be heard through the still-clamouring discussions about Gajeel and Levy. "It's twelve a.m."

"What does it matter?" I ask, perplexed. Gray isn't one of those let's-sleep-early-I'm-tired party poopers you always find at sleepovers, right? "We don't have class tomorrow, do we?"

Gray bites his lip. "Um…Lucy, actually, we do."

* * *

**So, I hoped you liked it! A GaLe hook-up and an almost NaLu hook-up ;) **

**Sorry if I don't update soon, school is a real time-consumer, ain't it?**

**Anyway, see you next time! Leave a review if you liked the chappie!**


	6. Chapter 6 - My Not-So-Great First Day

**ERMEGERD JUST KILL MEH NOW. **

**I'M SORRY.**

**IT'S A WHOLE WEEK LATE.**

**ASDFGHJKL ;-; and what a week that was!**

**I had to hand up my Art, Inquiry, German (we learn German at school :D), Maths, Science and Design & Tec. So yeah, pretty loaded week. I'm sorry!**

**7RandomGirl7: Aw, thank you! And sadly, this is my version of 'as soon as I can'…hehe… /sweatdrop**

**Willsweety: Yay! Thanks! ;)**

**YessCristopher: Yes, that is what I was aiming at and I'm glad it came across as funny! :DDDD**

**TheGrammarQueen: Yes, indeed. And Jellal is a man of many mysteries – we can never tell with that guy xD and yes, yes, Romeo would be scarred for lyfe, man. **

**Guest: Thank youuuuu~**

**Guest: Awwies, thanks! And so do I, my friend. So do I. But it will happen soon, DON'T YOU WORRY!**

**RedTed: Who doesn't? ;D**

**Now, for the chapter…**

* * *

~Chapter Six – My Not-So-Great First Day~

"Lucy!"

Slowly, I open a groggy eye and groan.

"Lucy!"

I stuff my head under my pillow and try to block that annoying voice. Who is that?

"LUCY!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" I finally scream, snatching the pillow off my head and hurling it at the general source of the voice. There's a faint sound of fabric hitting flesh and I lower my sleep-addled head, satisfied.

"_Lucy!_" The now angry voice roars, and I feel a harsh pull on the covers and suddenly they're thrown off me. _Ah_! Cold! "You are _not _a morning person, are you?"

"Wha – what?" The sleepiness abruptly clears from my head and I sit up, pushing a hand through my horribly knotty blonde hair. I squint my eyes and focus, seeing a furious Erza standing at the foot of my bed. Her beautiful crimson hair is scraped back into a swishy ponytail and she's dressed in school uniform.

_Oh, crap! _I have class today! Panicking, I grab my alarm clock and my jaw drops at the number that plaintively glares at me from the screen. Eight forty.

I was told that class starts at _quarter to nine. _In other words, I've got…

Five minutes.

"AH!" I shriek, and fly off the bed. "Sorry, Erza, for throwing a pillow at you!"

Erza 'hmph's again and turns away, her parting sentence being, "Get ready soon!"

I rip my pyjamas off my body like some kind of friggin' stripper and zip into the shower. OK, I've got exactly ten seconds to get everything done in the shower. Three seconds for brushing teeth (yes, I brush my teeth in the shower), three seconds for shampooing, two seconds for conditioner and two seconds for body-wash. Done! I scoop up a towel and take another second to examine myself in the mirror.

Oh, God. I look _hideous._

Firstly, my eyelids are all puffy from crying yesterday, I have massive under-eye circles, my dripping hair is a mess, and I can spy an angry, red-headed pimple sprouting just above my eyebrow.

I groan out loud, clutching at my screwed-up hair. Do I have time to apply makeup? An image of Natsu's horrified face pops into my mind and I decide to take the option of prettifying myself first.

After hurriedly slicking on eyeliner, mascara, concealer – the works, I burst out the bathroom and just as I do, I can hear a faint bell ringing in the depths of the building. Crap! I furiously throw my uniform on impossibly fast and tie my hair up in my signature hairstyle, and I'm out the door, my school bag swinging on my shoulder. Wendy told me yesterday my first class is Advanced English, with Levy, Jellal and Laxus, and she also informed me that the classroom is in the east part of Fairy Tail Academy…and our dorm room happens to be in the west wing.

I start sprinting, my bag bumping against my body as I do so. The corridors are empty. Oh, God, this is so bad! What impression is this going to put on my teacher and classmates?

Well...off I go. Off to a not-so-great start.

* * *

I peer out the window, my head gradually slipping off my propped-up hand and my eyelids oh-so-slowly closing.

Luckily, I didn't get in too much trouble for being super-late – the teacher, who introduced himself as Freed-sensei, just waved it off and reminded me gently to set my alarm. He seemed pretty cool – including the long neon-green hair he possesses to rival Erza's and Gajeel's – but the lesson definitely isn't.

Then I slid into a seat next to Levy and promptly zoned out.

It's just that – I'm sure that what Freed-sensei's speaking about is interesting, but I just can't concentrate, thanks to Truth or Dare. We ended up playing until four in the morning, with Lisanna having to kiss Laxus and Cana having to drink out of her barrel for three minutes straight and Juvia having to throw a whole tub of freezing water over herself only dressed in a bikini and Romeo having to 'fess up about his crush on Wendy and Wendy having to tell us her most embarrassing moment…I could go on forever, because it seemed like the _game _went on forever.

Suddenly, a sharp elbow digs into my rib and I jolt down to earth. "Lu-chan, concentrate!" Levy hisses, her mechanical pencil poised over a page cluttered full of notes. We were meant to take notes?

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I shake my head, rub my eyes furiously and reach down sleepily to my feet, searching around for my bag, which should be loitering somewhere beneath my desk.

When I'm suffering from the lack of sleep, I tend to get angry more easily. I can feel my frustration building up dangerously fast within me as I still can't feel the rough material of my bag. "Where is it?" I mutter under my breath, starting to feel itchy and hot and annoyed.

Finally, I stand up abruptly from my chair to actually look for my bag, mumbling obscenities under my breath. Stupid bag…Then, I proceed to promptly trip clean over my bag, which happened to be lurking_ behind_ me, and topple over, landing painfully on my butt.

All appalled eyes are on me, including Levy's, Jellal's, and Laxus's. Levy has her hands clasped to her mouth, Jellal peers, faintly worried, down at me and Laxus glances away, disinterested. Freed-sensei drums his fingers on his desk and puts the whiteboard marker down, his expression calm. "Lucy-san, are you all right?"

My cheeks flame as I struggle to heave myself up, reaching up to grab at the chair for support. "Y – yes. _Gomen._"

As my slightly trembling hand stretches forward and latches onto one of the chair legs, the whole chair decides to lose its balance too and it comes crashing down, the sturdy mahogany wood striking me square on the forehead.

_Ouch._

All I see before the world goes black is a flash of salmon-coloured hair.

* * *

"…no concussion, she'll just have a bad headache…"

"…really? Good!"

"…it looked pretty nasty though, she got knocked out for a while…"

I crack open my eyes only to squeeze them shut again when a blinding pinpoint of searing pain stabs at the centre of my forehead. _Oh, God, it feels like the hangover I had the morning after that bunny girl incident! _I groan a little and shift very, very slightly, feeling soft, warm covers on top and beneath me.

"Luce! You're awake!" A bright, relieved voice yells, and a hot hand closes gently around my icy wrist.

"Natsu…" I mumble, and manage to keep my eyes as slits without causing too much agony to my forehead. It's enough for me to see the situation I've woken up to…

I appear to be tucked neatly into my dorm room bed, with everyone from my dorm surrounding it. Natsu is closest, kneeling by my bedside and it's his hand that I correctly guessed to be enclosed around my arm. Everyone looks genuinely worried, but they look sort of relieved now that I'm awake.

Don't tell me…that everyone came out of class just to see me? I feel tears welling up in my eyes as this thought. What amazing friends…

"Are you OK? Why are you crying? Does it hurt?" Natsu asks in a rush, his grip tightening on my wrist, seeing a lone tear spurt down my flushed cheek.

"No, no," I laugh weakly, lifting a somewhat numb arm to flick the tear away as the pain fingers into my forehead again. How hard was that chair?! "It's just that…I'm glad that everyone came to see me."

Natsu grins, his giant, toothy smile giving me immediate relief. "Well, after you fainted and I carried you up here with Levy, Jellal and Laxus, I texted everybody that you were injured." He holds up his smooth, slick rectangle of a phone. "And then they came up here anyway."

"B – but, what about their classes?" I ask, only half-paying attention. He _carried _me up here? I hide my mouth under the lip of the covers and give myself a secret smile. "Wouldn't they have gotten into trouble?"

"Nope, the teachers are pretty cool here. Besides, we had Mirajane to convince them." He gestures to the impossibly beautiful, snowy-haired model that I hadn't noticed before, and she gives me a very kind smile.

"How are you, Lucy?" She asks, her melodic voice music to my ears. _Is Mirajane Strauss from Flirty Fioreans actually talking to me? _

"I – I – I'm fine, thank y – you." I don't even notice my horrible stammering as I continue staring in awe at Mirajane, who smiles again, her crystalline sky-blue eyes soothing me without a word spoken. I immediately love her – she seems like the big sister I never had.

Natsu rolls his eyes and punches my shoulder lightly. "Can you stop fangirling?" He complains, mock-yawning and stretching.

I punch him back, but not lightly. "Shut up, Natsu! Spare the injured."

"What does that mean?" Natsu inquires cluelessly, rubbing the red patch on his arm.

"Idiot," Gray snorts, clad in only navy boxers with a school tie looped casually around his neck.

"Says the school's number one stripper who loves everyone!" Natsu cackles mischievously, cracking his knuckles.

"Bastard! Do you want to die?" Gray threatens, raising a fist.

Before Natsu can reply, Erza steps in between them, ending the not-even-started fight instantly. She throws them both a deathly, meaningful look before turning to me and saying, "Lucy, Principal Makarov agreed that you will have the day off, but you still have to do the homework that Freed-sensei sent for English, what Gildarts-sensei sent for Physics, what Evergreen-sensei sent for Biology, what Siegrain-sensei sent for Science and what Hibiki sent for Mathematics, OK?"

"Urgh, fine." I prop myself up against the headboard of my bed, tentatively feeling the massive egg on my forehead and grimacing at the sparks of pain that ensue.

"You got an egg on your forehead!" Cana erupts in raucous laughter, pointing at me like I'm the funniest thing ever. "Ha ha ha ha!"

"Cana, shut up," Lisanna chides from Mirajane's side. "You've been drinking again, haven't you?"

"Of course not," Cana slurs, and then she abruptly plummets to the ground, suddenly wrapped up in a deep slumber.

Um…yeah, right.

"Totally. You haven't been drinking," Lisanna says doubtfully to Cana's sprawling figure, and casts her gaze away, wiggling her eyebrows at Juvia, who stifles a giggle, looking quite different in school uniform.

Levy, who has been standing quietly next to Juvia the whole time, finally looks at me, worried, and shoves Natsu to the side so she can take his place to crouch by my head. Natsu gives a short cry of protest.

"Lu-chan, when you got knocked out, Natsu smashed the whole window and carried you up here, bridal-style!" She whispers excitedly into my ear, and when she says that, it's like an electric shock is shimmying down my spine. And of friggin' course, I feel my face rise with heat. Did he really do that? I mean, I knew he carried me, but _bridal-style…_? He smashed the window?

Why, oh why, wasn't I awake?

"Natsu," I say out loud to Natsu, who is rubbing his spiky head as he struggles to get off the floor from Levy's rough push.

"Yeah?"

"You smashed the window?" A bubble of laughter flits through my lips uncontrollably.

Natsu sheepishly ruffles his bubblegum strands, looking unbearably adorable. _Wait, what? _"Uh, yeah. It's 'cause I was passing with Gray and Gajeel to my next class and I saw you trip over your bag and the chair fall onto you…"

Oh, God. He friggin' saw that? "You saw that?" I practically shriek, and before I can control my instincts, my foot is snapping out from the covers and I've kicked him in the face.

"Ouch!" He shouts indignantly, a giant foot-mark stamped on his tan cheeks. Oopsies... "Can everyone stop pushing and shoving me?"

"Oh, sorry." I extend my hand and help him up from my bed, while everyone looks on, amused. Levy just snorts. "It's just embarrassing..."

"Why? I thought you looked quite cute!" Natsu says enthusiastically, and then flares the colour of his hair.

Well, if Natsu thought it was cute, I guess it isn't that bad...

"Stop flirting!" Gajeel barks. "We've got to get back to class, Natsu, shrimp, everyone."

"OK," Natsu grumbles, still blushing hard. "I don't wanna, though –"

"Hurry up, flame maniac!" Gray slaps him harder than necessary on the back as he rushes past. "I'll beat you to Science, and you love Science!"

Natsu, the science geek?

"Hey!" Natsu chases Gray out the doorway. "No, I'm gonna beat you!"

Everyone files leisurely out after that, choruses of 'hope you'll be OK, Lucy' and 'get better!" ensuing. When Levy leaves, she gives me a thumbs up and mouths, "You go girl!" And disappears.

Before I can relax, though, the door smashes back open, scaring the friggin' life of me. The egg on my forehead twinges painfully as I jump up. But then, at the doorway, there's Natsu, grinning widely, his hand wrapped securely around Gray's wrist so he can't run away. "Get better, Luce!" He crows, winking, and he's gone.

I smile to myself. Oh, Natsu...

* * *

**I KNOW that Hibiki is from Blue Pegasus, not Fairy Tail, but whatevs. **

**Anyway, guise, I apologise once again for the lateness! /sobbu but it's the hols for me now, so I'll have heaps o' time to write! Woohoo!**

**Sorry if this chapter was short!**

**See you next time~ Review and stuff if you enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Murder Game

**Hai! S orry that I didn't update. I had a sleepover and it was awesome! :D**

**I could've written faster, but I had writer's block! That's why the plot for this chappie is kind of...random...lol. **

**Also, I think I'm getting a cold :( I feel all weak and headachy and everything! **

**Ash Lite – former EST: Woohoo! Thank you! I feel so awesome now xD and yeah, I was going to make it that he's Jellal's twin brother :) **

**TheGrammarQueen: Haha, all the guys ruin each other's moments! It's just their instincts lol!**

**xXxSatisixXx: Aw, thank you for the awesome feedback! And I promise I won't give up on my story until the bitter end! P.S I friggin' love what you called me: Rizzy-chan! It makes me sound cute. Oh well, a girl can dream, right? **

* * *

~Chapter Seven - The Murder Game~

I'm hunched in the cafeteria chair, brushing my fingers over the large bump on my forehead and listening to the girls' excessive ramblings. As I listen, I'm starting to get increasingly annoyed. All they seem to be talking about is their first day – which I missed.

"...and then Natsu punched Siegrain-sensei in the face!" Lisanna finishes, and the whole table erupts in laughter – except me.

"Oh, oh! Did you know in Physical Education Elfman cried?" Levy suddenly remembers, slapping the top of the table. "He wasn't chosen first for the basketball demonstration and he said, 'Being chosen first is Man!' and started crying!"

"Really?" Lisanna shakes her head, laughing. "Geez, Elf-nii-chan is the biggest crybaby brother ever, I swear."

"Gray-sama bumped into Juvia and apologised!" Juvia whispers in an undertone ecstatically, clutching her chest. "He's so manly!"

"OK, OK," Erza rolls her eyes ever-so-slightly and casually changes the subject. "Today, Hibiki-sensei was caught kissing Jenny Rearlight behind the school building!"

"Ha ha, really?" Cana briefly looks up from her giant beer barrel and laughs. "Mira's rival model? Her and Hibiki _totally _don't suit each other. And speaking of hook-ups, Dad was trying to make a move on Laki today. Gosh, Dad is such a flirt."

"Ah, Gildarts-sensei? Is he your dad?" Wendy asks with interest.

"Yeah. And OMG! Did you know that –?"

I can't take this anymore! Are they _purposely _trying to rub this in my face?! Rage burns easily through me, making the sore place on my forehead throb painfully. Ignoring it, I raise my fist and smash it, with all the strength I can muster, onto the table, making the top splinter a tiny bit. The unpleasant rattling sound reverberates loudly, immediately quieting the chattering girls. They look up slowly at me, their mouths wide open.

"You know what?" I say, my voice quivering with suppressed anger. "I don't want to hear your stupid talk about what happened today anymore!"

Levy makes to say something, but I've already spun around, abandoning my untouched casserole and stalking out the doors.

As I march, fast, through the empty corridors, taking random turnings, I start to regret what I said. They were only harmlessly talking about what went on today, after all... I should go back, and apologise.

Then I skid to a stop.

Um...where the hell am I?

I whip my head from side to side, my heart beginning to pick up speed. I don't recognise anything. All I see are gloomy, unlit, unfamiliar corridors surrounding me, dark corners, shadowy doorways..._and are those footsteps I hear?_

Cold sweat trickles down my back as I take a small step forward, only to shudder at the loud echo that it produces. Memories of the dreaded Hearfillia Mansion penetrate my feared mind, where I would see moving shadows on the walls at night and hear scuffles under the bed – and no one came to help me.

Suddenly, a warm hand clamps my shoulder and I let out a piercing scream. "_Ahh!_" I screech, ripping my shoulder away and spinning around.

It's Natsu, who's standing behind me, looking concerned. "Luce, it's me!" He soothes, smiling slightly. I sigh deeply and sink the ground, breathing heavily.

"Natsu…Natsu, you scared me!" Before I can stop myself, I lunge forward and wrap him in a tight embrace, wanting to feel his warm, comforting heat that makes me feel like I'm protected. He seems taken aback, from what I can tell by his muscular abs tensing, but soon after they relax and he hugs me tightly back.

After a while, I start to feel a tiny bit awkward with his heat-radiating arms encircling my figure so I pull away, blushing red. Natsu fluffs the back of his adorable salmon hair up embarrassedly and suggests, "So, um…should we go back?"

"Uh – yeah. Sorry." I giggle sheepishly, and I gasp a little in surprise as he boldly takes my hand, his rough fingers entwined within mine. He grins at me. "Let's go!"

* * *

We're outside the cafeteria doors and about to gladly enter the noisy, lit-up atmosphere when a shrill, bone-chilling scream pierces the night.

I jump a mile in the air and squeeze Natsu's toned arm to the point where he winces slightly. "W…what was that?"

"Beats me," Natsu murmurs, squinting at the general source of the scream.

"Lucy Heartfillia and Natsu Dragneel!" A loud, commanding voice that I recognise as Erza's booms from the sky, making me leap in the air once again. "We have a task for you."

"Uh, what?" Natsu raises an eyebrow, stroking my shaking arm to calm me. If I wasn't scared as hell, I would've friggin' fainted by now from Natsu… "Erza? What are you doing in the sky?"

"Shut up!" The voice yells. Yep, definitely Erza. "Your task is to figure out a murder that has been committed within the Fairy Tail Academy building. To find the actual person who was murdered is one thing, but the person who _committed _it is another. You have an hour. Go." Then there's a crackle and the speakers rigged on the ceiling are turned off. How did Erza even infiltrate the school speakers, anyway?

There's a short moment of silence until I say robotically, "Um. What. The. Heck."

Natsu doesn't reply for a second, but then after, he cranes his neck to look at me, and I see there's a humongous smile plastered on his face. Uh oh. I know that smile. It's one that screams 'adventure'. He cannot be serious!

"Let's go, Lucy! I wanna see who was murdered!" Natsu whoops ecstatically, and practically starts skipping down the corridor, still hanging tight onto my hand and therefore dragging me unceremoniously.

"Wahhh! W – wait!" I squeal, almost tripping over my own feet as he strongly drags me like a ragdoll or something.

"Is it in here?" Natsu slams open the nearest classroom door which I recognise as my Advanced English class from this morning. Seeing nothing but darkness, he promptly closes the door again, but this time, there's a note stuck on the front.

"Hah? What is that?" Natsu immediately rips the tiny scrap of paper off and I peep over his shoulder to read it.

_Floating in the depths_

_Is where a murder awaits_

_Waves of death_

_Lapping over a frozen figure, _

_Colder than ice…_

_- Clue 1_

Despite me knowing that this is a game, this poem sends a shiver down my spine. Levy must've written that – from what I can tell, she's awesome at poetry. But she's left a clear meaning in the clue – the murder was committed in the school swimming pool!  
"Come on, Natsu! The murder was in the pool!" I call, and take off down the corridor, a bemused Natsu in tow.

"What? Huh? It doesn't say that!" Natsu yells, confused, reading the clue flapping in his hand over and over again. Irritated, I flick at the spiky strands of candyfloss hair and tell him, "_Baka, _it doesn't really say that, but you can tell from the cryptic words in the poem!"

"Cryptic what?" Natsu replies cluelessly, but I just ignore him this time, sighing quietly and rolling my eyes. Why do I even like this guy?

"Never mind, Natsu! Just follow me."

I can feel Natsu's deep onyx eyes boring into me, and he says fervently, "You're really smart, Luce!"

Blushing, I then throw open the small door to the aquatic centre and the much-loved aroma of chlorine and inflatable tubes hits me, and I can hear the gentle slosh of the water all around me. I've always loved swimming since I was small – I'd always made the most of it whenever Father allowed me to visit, which was very seldom.

"Well, where is it?" Natsu asks, frowning around and trying to see in the almost-pitch-blackness.

"How should I know? It didn't say anything about the specific pool it was in…" I cast my eyes around, just making out the indistinct grandstand-things at the back of the cast room and the pile of tubes and noodles that are heaped in the corner to help the people who can't swim.

"Drip, drip, drop," A sudden, sinister voice chants, and I squeal and feel myself stepping back instinctively…but my feet don't meet solid ground. There's a brief second of emptiness before I hear the slap of water, the swirling foam.

I've fallen into a pool!

"_Aahh!_" I screech, flailing my arms out in a vain attempt to stop myself. Why, oh why did I wear my favourite skirt, socks and boots today?

Before the harsh chlorine water can meet my falling body, though, I feel familiar warm arms wrap around me fast and haul me up easily, flinging me into a muscular chest. Natsu!

I find myself looking up in awe at his wonderfully chiselled, tan face, which is _way _too close for comfort and I can feel his warm breath on my neck. Slowly, without even thinking, I shut my eyes slowly and his breath comes closer, his hand moves to my waist –

"Drip, drip, drop," The same haunting voice says, and immediately Natsu and I break apart, not looking at each other and flushing deeply. "Juvia is here to tell Lucy-san and Natsu-san that you have gone to the wrong location."

"What? I'm pretty sure this is the place! Juvia, where are you, anyways?" I squint even harder around, and this time I can see the silhouettes of each pool – and a ghostly figure standing right in the middle of one of them.

I jump high in the air in fright and resist the urge to hang onto Natsu's arm. "J – Juvia? What are you doing in there?"

"Juvia is at one with the water. Juvia tells you that you are at the wrong location. I also bear the next clue." There's the faint lap of water as I see her climb out gracefully, standing normally in her soaking fur coat and hat. "_This is the place where the liquid of the heavens collect/containing the source of life/vast iron holders/is where the murder will be,_" Juvia recites, still standing proudly in her sodden clothes and not even bothering to dry herself off. Juvia is one strange girl.

Natsu suddenly grabs my hand, his whole face alight with realisation, not even daunted by what happened a few moments ago – you know the whole almost-kiss thing… "Luce, Luce, it's the rainwater tanks!" He crows, and I raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Gosh, Natsu, that's pretty advanced for you," I tease.

"Oi!" Natsu protests, hurt. "I'm pretty smart, you know!"

"Sure, sure, whatever you say!" I sing, elbowing him sharply enough so he grimaces a little. "Then, let's go! Bye, Juvia!"

"Goodbye, Lucy-san, Natsu-san!" Her faint farewell fades into the distance as Natsu and I race out the aquatic centre, taking a door immediately to the left and there the rainwater tanks stand, huge metal capsules stark against the chilly night sky. One of the tank's caps is wide open, and faintly, I can see a figure floating on the ebb of the collected rainwater.

"Uwah! Come on, Lucy, I see someone! Who do you think it'll be? I hope it's the popsicle stripper!" Natsu chatters excitedly while he zooms up the creaky metal steps. Why the heck is he so excited for a fake murder?

Finally, with me wheezing for my dear collapsed lungs and Natsu not even breathing hard, we're up on the top. Everyone is there crowded there, even Juvia, even though I could've sworn we left before her. Lisanna steps forward, smiling brightly, a loudspeaker clasped in her hands. God, my dorm-mates really did go over-the-top with this…but that's just the way they are, I guess.

"Congratulations, Natsu, Lucy! You've found the murder place. Now to see who was murdered…" She flourishes grandly towards the yawning cap of the rainwater tank.

Natsu immediately pounces forward, smiling like a maniac. He laughs out loud, his attractive sharp incisors showing, when he sees whoever's in the tank. "HA HA! GAJEEL LOOKS HILARIOUS!" He splutters, and then loses control and starts banging his fists onto the metal platform in his boisterous laughter.

"What? _Gajeel _was the murder victim?" I can't help it. Laughing a bit myself, I peek over the metal rim and see Gajeel, in all his tough pierced form, floating peacefully on the dark water. My biggest question: how did they get him in there?

As if hearing my inward question, Cana complains, "We had to give him anesthetic because he wouldn't co-operate." She's reclining in her usual cross-legged position with her barrel nestled safely on her lap. "He'll wake up soon, so you better find the murderer fast."

"H – How exactly do we find out the murderer?" Natsu asks, wiping a tear off of his cheek and straightening up, directing his question towards Cana.

"By asking the suspects, flame pants, and choosing which one you think is the most suspicious," Gray answers instead, having mysteriously lost his clothes somewhere. "You have three guesses, and then you're out."

"I asked _Cana, _snowman," Natsu snarls, and immediately they begin to clash, in a whirl of punches and kicks and meaningless insults.

Sighing, I slap Natsu's head and say, "Come on, Natsu! It's time to find the murderer."

"_Yosh_!" He gives one last kick to Gray's abdomen and jumps up, looking very excited. He advances upon Romeo, who's closest and yells, "Romeo, was it you?!"

"N – Natsu-nii, calm down!" Romeo tries to coax, looking a bit uncomfortable with Natsu's eager face shoved right up close to his.

"I think it was Romeo!" Natsu raises his hand and shouts, looking overly triumphant. God, that guy doesn't know anything! I kick him hard in the back and order, "Natsu! Don't jump to conclusions! We haven't even interrogated everyone yet –"

"Laxus! It was you, wasn't it?" Natsu declares, pointing at said blonde accusingly. Laxus just gives him a pitying, you-can't-be-serious look and twitches his fur coat irritably. "No, obviously," Laxus tells him, bored.

"It was Laxus!" Natsu screams, jumping up and down hyperactively. Ugh! That guy… I charge towards him and punch him with all my might right in the face, making him tumble to the ground immediately.

"Natsu, are you stupid?! We have one guess left now!" I snap, glaring down at his stationary figure with pained groans emanating from it. "Get up, Natsu."

"Ouch, Lucy! You're scarier than Erza!" Natsu whines, massaging his cheek tentatively. "That hurt!"

"Get over it, dragon boy," I scold without thinking. Dragon boy…that suits him, actually. "I've got a friggin' egg on my forehead and I'm not complaining!"

"That's because you fainted," Natsu mutters, but doesn't protest as he struggles to get up. Gray whistles in admiration.

"Gawd, Lucy, you must've hit Natsu hard."

"What did you say –" Natsu begins threateningly, but Erza clears her throat loudly and tells me pleasantly, "Lucy, you have one guess left. If you don't get it correct, you're going to have to kiss Natsu."

"OK." I say absentmindedly – but then I realise what she said.

What. The. Hell!

"_ERZA_!" I shriek, literally pulling at my ponytail. "No, I'm not doing that!"

Erza shrugs. "Then you better get it right, Lucy!"

I turn on my heel, a new fire of determination burning in the pit of my stomach. I mean, kissing Natsu won't be that bad – in fact, it'll be pretty awesome – but it'll be awkward, to say the least.

I examine Levy, who's leaning easily against the metal bar surrounding the rainwater tank platform, smiling at me. The smile is genuine, there's no guilt to it – I'm pretty sure it's not Levy. But, to be sure… "Levy – chan, if you're the murderer, I'll steal your candy stash!"

"Sure!" Levy agrees. OK, it's definitely not her. That girl wouldn't give up her candy stash for the world.

Natsu, still stroking his cheek, races around fiercely questioning everyone. As far as I can see, no one's guilty. They all seem to be completely casual and innocent. Damn my dorm mates for being such good actors!

"Jellal, are you _sure _it's not you?" I say sceptically, observing his face carefully to detect any changes. However, it remains smooth with his trademark indifference.

"Nope. I'm not the murderer."

"But that means we've interrogated everyone!" I throw my arms in the air exasperatedly, pouting.

"Not true, Luce!" Natsu's muffled voice is heard from behind Romeo. "There's – still – Wendy! Gosh, you're strong for your size, Wendy!"

"N – No!" Wendy stammers, as Natsu finally hauls her out. She's sweating visibly and her lips are trembling and all in all, she may as well have the word 'GUILTY' written all over her face. "It – it wasn't m – me! I s – s – swear!"

"Aha!" I squeal, trying my utmost to look relieved, but to be honest, I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get to kiss Natsu. "The murderer is Wendy!"

"Wendyyyyy, you ruined it!" Cana groans immediately, her voice considerably more slurred than before. "We didn't get see Natsu and Lucy make out!"

Sometimes, I really hate Cana.

"H – Hey!" I say crossly, glaring at Cana, who's laughing loudly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Congrats, Natsu, Lucy!" Levy cheers, but gives me a secret, sympathetic wink when no one's looking.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Natsu remembers from celebrating with Jellal and Erza. "Why did you even do this is the first place? The murder game?"

"Well, Lucy missed her first day of school, and I guess it was our fault for playing Truth or Dare for too long. So we skipped most of school today to prepare for the game," Gray explains, a snarky expression on his face. "You're an idiot, so you obviously didn't realise, pyro."

Natsu and Gray immediately continue their last, uncompleted fight as I edge towards the girls, who all smile kindly and knowingly at me (apart from Cana, who currently appears to be sleeping). I sheepishly keep my eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry, girls. I didn't mean – I didn't mean to rage at you!"

"It's OK, Lucy! We purposely did it so we could have more time to plan!" Levy tells me, and immediately my sorrow has vanished. Purposely, huh…

But my anger fizzles out abruptly and I just smile weakly. "Ugh, you guys!" I protest, but they just laugh.

"Plus, we wanted to see you and Natsu hook up!" Lisanna adds, and I quickly look up. Wasn't she interested in him? But then I see her gaze wandering to Laxus, who's conversing grudgingly with Romeo and Wendy, who still looks a bit flustered. Oh yeah…Lisanna refused too many dares so she had to kiss Laxus, right? I feel bad for doubting her now.

Then I realise how lucky I am to have these many true friends – friends I only met yesterday and I already feel strong connections to. Fairy Tail Academy really is a place of friendship…I smile softly to myself.

"BAAAAAH!" A rough, harsh voice erupts from the water tank and a studded, soaked glove reaches over the top of the tank. Gajeel. "WHOEVER PUT ME UNDER THE FRIGGIN' ANESTHETIC IS GOING TO DIE!"

* * *

**Hahaha. I love Gajeel. He's so friggin' funny.**

**So I guess this is a filler chapter, kinda? OK, I had writer's block, so don't blame me for the crappy, random chapter. Heh.**

**Sorry if I didn't update soon enough ;-; **

**Review and everything! Thank you all~!**

**See you guys! **


	8. Chapter 8 - Teachers and Tennis

**Hey hey! It's Rizzy again with chapter eight!**

**TheGrammarQueen: That's where the anesthetic comes in :)**

**Gotakumoe Giku: …**

**Now for the chapter! Sorry if it's too short!**

* * *

~Chapter Eight - Teachers and Tennis~

After my disastrous first day, thankfully, the days after that go somewhat smoothly. I get the appropriate amount of sleep and no chairs are out to knock me unconscious anymore. Also, since I only got to meet Freed-sensei, I wasn't sure what to expect with my other teachers.

Science was my first lesson on my second day. This is the only class I share with Natsu, so I was feeling pretty good as he slid into the seat next to me, grinning that heartthrob smile of his at me. "Hey, Luce!" He greeted, flinging his bag over the top of his chair. I eyed it warily. I better not trip over that. "So you're in my Science class, huh?"

"Yeah." Not like I checked a hundred times, or anything. "Siegrain-sensei is the teacher for this class, isn't he?"

"Yup. He's a real jerk, though. Thinks he's all high and mighty…"

Before I could reply, though, a hand smoothly connected with the side of Natsu's head, making him slam flat onto his desk. What the heck? I reeled back and averted my eyes up, angry. "Oi –"

Then I saw who was smirking down at me. Huh? Jellal? The exact replica of his face, deep amber-green eyes, unruly blue hair, the same intricate tattoo…

But no. Jellal always radiates kindness and understanding, but this impostor, whoever he is, didn't. He simply looked snarky and confident as he retracted his fist, peering down at Natsu. "You say that again, Dragneel, and I'll give you detention!" He then spun gracefully on his heel and made his way to the front of the room, smiling that cold smile as he surveyed the room.

"Welcome back, everyone. Now for the lesson."

Natsu finally lifted his head very slowly, growling like a dog. "That Siegrain…he hasn't forgiven me for punching him in the face! He's an idiot! Jellal's the smarter brother!"

"Um…they're brothers? Like twins?" I asked quizzically, and then mentally punched myself. _Duh, Lucy. _"But then wouldn't Siegrain-sensei be the same age as us? That's pretty young."

"Yeah, but the Fernandes family are famous for their Science knowledge, apparently. Jellal was offered the job of the Advanced Science teacher first, but he declined, saying he preferred a normal education."

"Huh." Hearing this, I immediately liked Jellal a tonne better than Siegrain-sensei, who was at that moment spouting some chemical formulas that made zero sense to me. How I got into the advanced class, I don't even know. "So then Siegrain-sensei was given it?"

"Yup. Even though he's a teacher, he's still a student. But he has the power to give detentions and homework and he can access the teacher's lounge! It really sucks –"

"Dragneel, stop flirting with Heartfillia and listen already!" Siegrain-sensei's voice rang across the room and filled the room with giggles. Does he have a habit for referring to people by their last names, or something?

Sigh. Off to lesson two, after that.

The second lesson was Mathematics, which I shared with Erza, Gray, Wendy, Romeo, Cana, Lisanna, Juvia and Gajeel. I wasn't in the advanced course for this one – which probably explained why so many people from my dorm were in it. Ha.

Hibiki proved to be a total playboy. Not surprising, having been rated number one for 'Who I Want to be my Boyfriend' section in the _Flirty Fioreans _magazine. We didn't call him 'sensei' because he claimed that he was too young to be called that.

Anyway, when I first walked into the classroom, all I saw was a whirl of a luscious mane of light brown before I saw Hibiki kneeling on one knee in front of me, having produced a bouquet of roses from friggin' nowhere and sparkles literally dancing next to him.

"Lucy-san, you are the epitome of beauty! Come on a date with me!" He declared, flourishing grandly with his hand.

My eye twitched. God, I hate these people! Without hesitation, I raised my leg and kicked him. Hard. Did I mention I was wearing my spike-heeled boots?

Hibiki fell to the ground, with that dopey expression still plastered on his face. "Oh, to feel the sting of love once again!"

I huffed, annoyed. _Baka. _Now where's the maths teacher at?

"U – um, Lucy-san?" Wendy peeped her head up from behind her desk. "That's Hibiki…sensei."

"W – what?" I shrieked, and immediately stepped back. Taking a closer look, I realised it was indeed Hibiki from _Flirty Fioreans. _Crap. "AH! OMG! I'm so sorry, Hibiki!"

"It's all right, Lucy-san, because I am indeed captivated by your beauty –" He began to croon, but Cana's signature, I-just-drank-booze laugh interrupted Hibiki.

"You tell him, Lucy!" She crowed. "Ha ha, it serves him right, the playboy sleaze!"

"Sleaze?" Gajeel cackled. "And you're not one?"

"Hey!"Cana protested, stifling a burp. "I may drink a lot, but at least I don't try and flirt with a million girls at once!"

I just sighed and reached out a hand to help Hibiki up.

Lesson three was next, and it was Biology, taught by Evergreen-sensei. Everyone except Natsu, Jellal and Laxus were in this class. Whereas Jellal and Laxus were both in all the accelerated lessons, Natsu was in the beginner's class for Biology…and English and Maths.

Evergreen waltzed in, her wavy brown hair flowing, her purple feathered fan gathered close to her face, which is graced by square-framed glasses, and gauzy transparent _wings _rising majestically from the small of her back. She proudly ignored our inquiring gazes and sat down elegantly, one high-heeled leg crossed over another. For a long while, she didn't look up, instead admiring her own reflection in a small hand mirror. Then, she eventually snapped the mirror shut and gave us all a cool, calculating look.

"My specialty is to educate in the delicate forms and lifestyles of elegant, miniscule organisms known as fairies – but I suppose Biology would have to do," She sighed, flapping the delicate fan by her face and surveying the room of students that were staring at her, wide-eyed. "Just so you know, I only joined here because of the marvellous name, _Fairy Tail_! And not, by the way, because of a certain white-haired man who might be named Elfman!" Her last sentence was high-pitched and frantic, and this time everyone had their phones secretly held in their hands, ready to call the mental institute when needed.

"No one said that, Evergreen-sensei," Gajeel told her in a bored voice, and the room erupted into giggles. Evergreen turned a fierce fuchsia and slammed her fan on the desk. "Quiet, everyone! On with the lesson!"

It seems that almost all the teachers in Fairy Tail Academy are SENILE.

The last lesson was Physics, with Gildarts-sensei. He was a powerful looking man, with a hulking build and slicked-back orange hair that reached his shoulders. Surprisingly, he only taught the intermediate class, which was the one I was in along with all the others apart from, of course, Jellal, Laxus and Natsu. Natsu was actually in the higher group, this time.

Despite Gildarts's scary appearance, he would try and go all fatherly over Cana at every chance he could, even in the middle of a lesson. Apparently, they didn't meet until a year ago, so Gildarts tries his best to make up for the time lost, to no avail. Cana can't stand it, although I can tell she loves her father anyway. When I first saw this, a lump formed in my throat and I quickly looked away, swallowing hard. If only the thing called _fatherly love _existed in my childhood.

* * *

And so my days passed, merely a haze of homework, hanging out at the cafeteria and reading whenever I could. Day after day, week after week…until I realise that a whole month had passed since I had come to this wonderful school.

I sigh and shut my English essay with a snap, laying my stubby pencil on the top. Gosh, I could really use a break. All this homework is killing me –

"Girls!" Erza's loud, commanding voice is heard from the lounge, as if reading my mind. "You guys should stop doing homework for a change and come down to the gym to play tennis! It's really fun! Plus we have about three hours 'till dinner!"

Yay! Finally, some _real _girl time, and when I mean _real, _I mean not just quickly dropping by the cafeteria to talk for about five minutes. But then it occurs to me that I haven't had much contact with Natsu lately, just an odd smile or greeting here and there. I realise that I miss his rambunctious and outspoken personality.

Ack! I flick my forehead. Lucy, no one likes them clingy girls!

Then I wonder, is Natsu missing _me_…?

The room on the left to mine is Lisanna's. She throws open her door and calls, "Sure, Erza! I was considering leaving my Science homework until later, anyway. What about the others?"

Before I can shout back, the door on my right slams open. Levy. "OK, Erza! Be ready in a sec!"

Another door down the corridor. "Yes, Juvia would very much like to."

A room further down: "You should be glad I didn't drink too much today."

Wendy's sweet, distant voice: "Ooh, good idea, Erza-san!"

"What about you, Lucy?" Erza asks.

I rush for my door and throw it open. "Yeah, let's go!"

"This is so exciting!" Someone, who I suspect to be Levy, squeals. "Get ready quickly, girls!"

Closing my door softly, I slide open the door on my tiny wardrobe. Hm. Atheletic or gorgeous? Well, I guess it's just us girls, so I'm going for atheletic. At least Natsu's not seeing me.

Sliding on an ugly puke-coloured polo, I match it with a billowing white miniskirt that's way too short and shove on pristine white sneakers. I begin to hear the sound of doors clicking open and hurry to give myself a scoosh of deodorant before heading out. Can't go around smelling like sweat, can we?

We all meet out in the lounge. With a sinking heart, I realise everyone but me has gone for the 'cute' look, and all are donned in what looks like something straight off the model runway. Levy even has the audacity to _giggle _at my clothing! The nerve! I pout and complain, "Well, we're doing tennis, right?!"

"Yes, don't worry, Lucy, you look perfectly fine," Lisanna reassures, while I stick my tongue out at Levy. Ha!

"Oi, oi, oi…why aren't we going?" Gray asks from the couch, naked again. Typical.

"Didn't you hear me? It's a _girl _thing." Erza replies promptly, hauling the massive stack of tennis racquets and balls she has by her feet effortlessly.

"Hmph. Fine. We'll do our _guy _thing," Gray grumbles, casually sliding his hands behind his head. "Right?" He asks the other guys, who are all somewhere in the lounge. Except Natsu. Where is he?

"_Hai, hai_," Laxus says, rolling his eyes obviously.

"Come on, girls!" Erza announces, grinning at us. "Time to go!"

* * *

"Haaaaah!" Levy gives a loud war cry and she tosses the ball in the air and smashes it, as hard as she can, with her poor racquet.

"Not fast enough!" I yell, and swing my racquet lazily to meet the speeding ball. Surprisingly, I have proven myself somewhat of an expert at tennis. Everyone has challenged me and I've beat them all! Uh, not brag, of course…

The ball bounces leisurely on Levy's court and she lunges for it, desperately slicing the racquet in the air, but she misses the ball by a hair and it rolls off court.

"Lucy-san wins twelve – nil!" Juvia declares, blowing a silver whistle on her chest hard. "Congratulations, Lucy-san."

Levy grouchily swats my head as we cross the court to supposedly shake hands. "Lu-chan, how come you're so good?! You even beat Erza!"

"Just skill, I guess," I preen, smirking at Levy. She looks so grumpy at my answer that I decide to console her. "Come on, Levy-chan, let's play volleyball next!" I suggest, pointing over to the courts where Cana and Wendy are batting a larger pink ball back and forth in quick succession. Lisanna, the referee, has her eyes glued firmly to the ball, her pupils flicking from side to side like a pendulum. "It looks fun."

Levy cheers up and smiles widely. "OK!"

"_Minna_!" A sweet, familiar voice echoes over the cast gym and we all turn around, sort of pissed that someone interrupted our intense games. But our anger quickly dissipates as we see the lovely Mirajane standing by a small opening in the wall. It looks like some kind of bar/mini café thing. She's holding a giant platter of snacks, smiling at us. "I've got some refreshments for you all!"

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna jumps down quickly from the referee chair, beaming. "Thank you!"

We immediately rush over to the snowy-haired model and gladly dig in.

"Mirajane, you can cook, too?" I ask in awe after swallowing a breadstick.

"Yes! I run the café here in the gym and also the one upstairs. I'm also an assistant cook in your cafeteria!" She tells me, and my mouth drops open.

"You mean the Fairy Tail Forest Café?" I gasp, and she nods, smiling at my amazement.

"_Sugoii,_ Mirajane!" I squeal. OK, Mirajane is officially my top role-model, as desperate as that sounds.

"Oh, Lucy? You don't need to call me Mirajane anymore. Just Mira, or Mira-chan is fine!" She says sweetly.

"OK…Mira-chan!"

"Hey…isn't that Natsu over there?" Cana suddenly points, her mouth full of kabana sausages and cheese cubes. (You know, _those_ kinds of classic appetizer things.) "He's by the doorway!"

"_What_?" I screech, and immediately fling myself behind Erza, who seems to be the sturdiest person to hide behind. Ah! I can't let Natsu see me like this!

After about five minutes of my heart beating a gazillion miles an hour, I gather up the courage to finally peek my head over a bemused Erza's shoulder and discover that the doorway and gym is void of people – except us! I turn angrily to Cana, and see that she's doubled over, laughing.

"Hah! Lucy, I really got you there," Cana flicks a tear off the corner of her eye, finally straightening up. "Geez, Lucy, you're really smitten with Natsu."

"_Ala, ala_," Mira gives me a knowing look. "So you like Natsu? You have high standards, don't you, Lucy?"

"How is Natsu _high standard_?" I huff, crossing my arms and focusing my gaze to a spot right above Mirajane's head. "He's not! I just feel…attracted to him, I guess, for some reason."

Levy sighs, setting down a piece of cucumber. How does she eat that, when there's a pile of breadsticks and much yummier things in front of her? I despise rabbit food! "Lucy, stop dissing your almost-boyfriend."

"He's not my almost-boyfriend –" I start to protest, my face glowing warmly, but Wendy cuts me off unintentionally, her eyes cast at the doorway.

"Lucy-san, that's Natsu-san and all the boys!" Wendy gasps, but I don't even hide this time and just sit there, stock-still and smirking. Yeah, right!

"H – hey, Luce," An all-too-familiar voice speaks from above me, and I swear I freeze. Like literally, freeze. My hands are stuck to the ground and my legs are glued together. With small, jerky movements, my head directs towards the voice.

_Natsu._

"O – Oh, Natsu! I – I didn't expect to see you h – h – here!" I curse myself inside for my horrible stutter and my ultimate failure at a light, conversational tone. "I – I haven't s – seen you for a w – w – while!"

"Y – yeah, me too." Natsu stares adorably down at me, and I can see the apples of his cheeks slowly flushing pink. Aw.

Someone, probably Levy, wolf-whistles, and I immediately cast my gaze away, way too embarrassed to even make eye contact with him. Erza mouths 'go, Lucy', Lisanna gives me a very obvious thumbs-up, Juvia just smiles encouragingly at me, Wendy looks delighted and Levy winks and grins evilly at me. So it _was _her! God, what an asshole.

"Oi, Natsu, are you going to say it or not?"

My head curiously rises again and I realise that the rest of the guy gang have come along as well and seem to be pushing Natsu forward, while the pink-haired boy himself looks reluctant and unwilling. It was Gray's voice before, and now he prods Natsu, mouthing something to him and causing the guy to blush hard.

Um…what's going on?

"Natsu, hurry up," Jellal says, ever encouraging.

"O – OK." Natsu takes a deep breath in and exhales out slowly. He meets my eyes and his mouth opens, and closes. Then he blurts out, "You look nice today, Luce."

That's what he was agonizing over?!

"Bastard!" Gray punches him none-too-lightly in the stomach. "That's not what you were going to say!"

It's not…?

Natsu rubs his stomach and glares at Gray, who just shrugs and rolls his eyes. This is very – unNatsu-like, I guess. He doesn't stammer and avoid people's gazes, does he? I squint at him impatiently. "Natsu? What did you want to say to me?"

Then it hits me. What if he…wants to…_confess_?

I slap my hand to my mouth. It can't be! It's way too soon. Wait, it's been a month. But still! I'm freaking out! "_Aah_!"

There's a silence as I realise I just screamed out loud. Oops.

"Lucy! Are you OK?" Natsu asks, concerned, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh! Um, I'm fine." Levy gives me an exasperated look which I see in my peripheral vision as I give him a sheepish smile. "Sorry! So what were you going to say…?"

"Um." Natsu bashfully lowers his head, and then scrunches his facial features up. Then he spits _the _words out, albeit the severe but cute stammer.

"D – Do you w – want to g – g – go out w – w – with me to t – the m – m – m – movies me with t – tomorrow?"

* * *

**AAAAAND that's it! What's gonna happen next yo?**

**By the way, guys…I'm really sorry to be one of those annoying people who complain about everything, but…I've been noticing that I don't get many reviews…so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review if you feel the need to give feedback, whether it be criticism or good things. Pweease :3 Sorry for the rant, guys TT-TT**

**Oh, and I've had an idea! Would you like to see Natsu's P.O.V? Because I think it'll be interesting hehe :D**

**Well**, **see you guys! Cue the classic Happy farewell!**

**Stand! Bow! AYE!**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Prettifying Process

**Hai hai! Me again!**

**Gosh, it's chapter nine already? O.o how the days fly by! **

**TheGrammarQueen: Thanks! And it's nice to know someone understands the feeling :D**

**Darkgravity217: Well, you, my sir, are more AWESOME for saying that! :D**

**LucyCelestialWi: Aww thank you so much for the lovely feedback~~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the masterpiece called Fairy Tail, I only own the perfume name and perfume creator in this chapter that I made up on the spot xD**

**Now, here's the chapter! :)**

* * *

~Chapter Nine - The Prettifying Process~

Every single person in the room is dead silent.

Levy's jaw is slack in amazement, Erza's face is a deep plum colour, Juvia just goggles at Gray, Lisanna is on the verge of squealing, Wendy looks as nervous as me, Mirajane simply smiles at me and Cana, surprisingly, doesn't laugh, just concentrates on downing her beer.

Me? Well, I'm hyperventilating.

Sweat immediately breaks out on my forehead as my brain begins to process what Natsu has just asked me through a series of adorable stutters.

_Natsu. Just. Asked. Me. Out._

And he asked me out while I'm wearing the ugliest outfit someone could be wearing when they could get asked out! Why, why, why?

"Well, Lu-chan?" Levy recovers from her shock and elbows me sharply. "He's _wait – ing!_"

Oh, Levy, how I wish you would disappear! Or be knocked out or something. Preferably by my fist.

I clear my constricted throat as a certain emotion called euphoria starts coursing through my veins. "U – um…." I lift my head and my eyes meet a pair of intense, nervous onyx orbs. It's Natsu staring down at me, his cheeks practically steaming. A strand of vibrant hair brushes gently over his forehead. I must be dreaming, for this guy, the very definition of adorable, hot, gorgeous rolled into one, to be _asking me out. _And no, I am not going to pinch myself, because the memory of what happened the last time I did that is still fresh in my mind.

"O – OK!" I try to make my voice sound peppier, because if there's one thing a guy doesn't want to happen after asking someone out, it's a girl who looks and sounds disdainful as she accepts. It's just the initial shock – and the fact that my friends are all snickering and I can even hear a faint _cheer. _God, those girls are going to get their asses whooped later! "I'd love to, Natsu!"

Natsu's previously uncertain expression breaks into one of ultimate relief – and shyness. Have I ever mentioned how ravishing (really, Lucy? Using a word like _ravishing_?) he looks when he's shy?

Well, he looks ravishing when he's shy, just so you know.

"That's great! Should we meet in the lounge tomorrow at about, say, seven?" Natsu's childish, sunny grin is stretching from ear to ear, back to his old self.

"Sure!" I smile, my chest filling with warmth.

"'Kay, see ya!" Natsu calls, and then suddenly he's out of the gym the next second, running for his life while the other guys chase after him, yelling obscenities at the quickly dissipating figure of the pinkhead.

Back here, there's a short moment of no speaking. Then –

"OMG OMG OMG! LU-CHAN! HE FINALLY DID IT!" Levy's thin arms suffocate me as she wraps me in an ecstatic embrace. "Are you excited?!"

"Well, yeah!" I giggle. "I just had the hottest guy in the friggin' world ask me out! But, Levy-chan, you were annoying. I felt like punching you, so, sorry."

Levy just laughs as she sits back on her heels. "That's what friends are for, Lu-chan! By the way, I disagree about Natsu being the hottest guy in the world. Gajeel actually is."

"As if that emo pierced guy can be as hot as Natsu!" I scoff, poking my tongue out at my bluenette friend. "You're just jealous!"

Before Levy can retort back, there's a flash of scarlet hair and then Erza's suddenly kneeling in front of me, gripping my shoulders and roughly swaying them back and forth, all the while looking very flustered and red.

"L – Lucy, I c – c – congratulate you on y – your new relation – s – s – ship!" Erza mutters, while I begin to feel dizzy from her ministrations. What's her deal? "B – Be very happy with h – him, Lucy!"

Cana takes one look at my perplexed expression and explains, "Erza does that whenever someone gets married."

"_Married_?" I squeak. Why are we talking about _marriage_? "Natsu and I aren't married!"

Cana rolls her eyes and sniggers at me, blinking slowly and – now that I look closer – drunkenly. "I wasn't saying you were, Lucy, calm down. But congrats anyway, girl! You go!"

I begin to roll my eyes, but suddenly a stuttering, flushed Erza is pushed out the way and Juvia is gripping my hands together, her smile unbelievably wide as happy tears leak out from her crinkled eyes. Um… is it that amazing that I got asked out?

"Lucy-san, Juvia is so glad! Juvia no longer has a love rival!" Juvia clasps my hands in a deathly, vice-like grasp. "Lucy-san cannot go after Gray-sama anymore."

Exasperated, I force a smile and try to wriggle my fingers out of Juvia's fervent grip because my blood circulation is starting to cut off, but to no avail. "Oh, um, thanks, Juvia."

"I think the correct term is _you're welcome_!" Lisanna giggles, popping her snowy-white head from behind Juvia's fur coat-clad shoulder, along with a placidly smiling Mirajane. "Ahh, Lucy, the way Natsu asked you out was so romantic! I can tell he really likes you – no, _loves _you! I wish someone would do that to me, someday." Lisanna says all of this quickly and fervently, her hands clasped on her chest and eyes raised skyward. I can tell she's thinking of Laxus.

Anyway, what is all this crap about _love _and _marriage_? My friends are way too romantic for their own good.

But then, I sigh inwardly. Well, I guess it's just the way the girls are…

"Lisanna, stop daydreaming about Laxus!" Mirajane teases, while Lisanna goes bright red, clashing with her petite light hair. "It's Natsu and Lucy we're talking about!"

"M – Mira-nee, I wasn't daydreaming about Laxus!" Lisanna squeals, but her terrific glowing face gives everything away. "B – Besides, you're one to talk! You should be dreaming about Freed-sensei!"

_Freed-sensei_?

Mirajane embarrassedly runs an elegant hand through her shimmering hair, laughing. "Well, Lisanna, there's a slight difference there. You and Laxus have only shared a little, chaste kiss, me and Freed have done so much more!"

"Mira-chan!" I splutter before I can stop myself. How can she be so bold…? "You've – you've h – had…_it_?"

Mirajane looks clueless. "Lucy, what do you mean?"

Cana separates her mouth from the nozzle of her much-loved barrel and tells a now thoroughly mortified Mirajane, "Lucy is asking if you've _slept_ with him, duh!"

Mirajane gasps and rushes to Wendy, fruitlessly blocking her ears. "Cana, not in front of the children!"

"Mira-san, I'm the same age as everyone else!" Wendy's indignant, muffled voice can be heard under Mira's arm.

Mirajane releases Wendy. "Oh, yes, sorry about that. But anyway, I didn't mean it like _that_! I meant that we've just – you know, had a bit more action. But no way I've gone that far, Lucy, Cana!" She protests, while Lisanna just gives her a very condescending look. Gosh, I wouldn't have thought that Freed-sensei and Mira were together! I mean, the green-haired teacher does talk about her a lot, but I just assumed it to be fanboy habits, because Mirajane does tend to wake those kinds of traits up in people. But I guess they're a couple.

"Girls, stop blabbing!" Levy declares, and all the indeed blabbing girls stop abruptly. Ha. "We need to start planning, to make Lu-chan's first-ever date a great one! Come on!"

"Yeah!" The girls cheer, and I just smile.

* * *

It's Saturday, a day after Natsu asked me out. My clock reads as five thirty P.M.

And I'm freaking out.

My bare feet pace the length of my room, dressed only in a fluffy nightgown and hugging my Plue plushie to my chest so tightly that if he happened to be alive I would've strangled him by now. As much as I want to stop, I friggin' can't! Restlessness makes my feet jiggle, my fingers drum on any available surface and my teeth chatter together. My _date _is in less than two hours. My _date _with _Natsu._

Where are the girls? They said they would be here by five thirty –

As if on cue, my door crashes open and miraculously, I manage to stop. All of them are in the doorway, each brandishing a weapon of torture, A.K.A beauty products.

Erza hugs two huge mechanisms to her chest, which I recognize to be a massive iron-studded straightener and a smooth tube of a curler, the electric cords trailing behind her on the floor. Wendy holds up a handful of hair-ties, bows, fake flowers, hair clips, donut bun makers and bejewelled headbands. Lisanna waves a bulging black bag with various brushes and containers and tubes and liquids which I _think _is makeup. Cana is managing to keep a giant selection of beautiful and glittery jewellery in her arms. Juvia grips a gorgeous pair of glossy night-black shoes by their heels, a delicate finger holding up the long, criss-cross straps that come with it. Then last but not least, Levy presents to me a long, sparkly swath of red fabric, grinning.

"_Minna_!" I manage to greet after speechlessly staring at the abundance of goods that the girls have brought to my room. "You shouldn't have!"

But I _mean_ it. Knowing these girls, I know the next hour or so is going to be hell for me.

"Lu-chan, there's no point backing out," Levy barks like an army sergeant, and that's when I know my prediction is going to be right. "All you have to do is sit still and we'll do everything."

"That's what I'm worried about!" I mutter, but let my best friends pounce on me.

"First, the makeup!" Lisanna announces, plucking out a battered tube full of thick skin-coloured liquid. Foundation, I'm pretty sure. "I'll do the base, but I called Mira-nee and she agreed to help you with the finer works, like eyeshadow and mascara and stuff, since she's a model and all."

"OK, OK," I sigh, shutting my eyes slowly and immediately feeling the cool brush touch my cheekbones. "I just don't know why you're going to so much effort just for a date!"

"Oh, speaking of which, Wendy asked Natsu if he was excited for the date –" I roll my eyes under my fluttering eyelids. "– and he got all flustered and started gabbling about it just being 'an outing between close friends'," I hear Erza say, and in spite of myself, my heart sinks. 'Close friends'? You've got to be kidding me! We almost friggin' _kissed _when we played Truth or Dare and at the aquatic centre. Close friends, my ass.

Before I can reply, though, Levy pipes up from somewhere on my right. "But, Lu-chan, I don't believe it for a second. He obviously likes you, but doesn't want to admit it. I was there when Wendy asked him because she didn't want to do it by herself and he was _so _lying. His face was redder than Erza's hair and he was stuttering so much. Natsu's denying it!"

At Levy's words, I feel my heart rising warmly like a hot-air balloon. It must've shown on my face because Cana snickers. "It looks like that cheered you up, Lucy!"

Lisanna squeaks in alarm, for some reason. "Oh, no! Lucy's blush is still showing through! Did I not apply foundation evenly enough?"

Oh, great.

"I don't think so, Lisanna-san! I think her blush is just too strong," Juvia supplies helpfully, giggling.

"H – Hey!" I mumble, trying not to move my mouth a lot because I can still feel the tickly brush sweeping around my face. "Not true!"

"Shut up, Lu-chan," Levy orders. "We're adding something that defines your nose and cheekbones and makes you look sparklier."

"You mean highlighting?" I correct, exasperated.

"Yeah. That." I feel the change of brush on my skin as Lisanna works her magic. "Guys, how long is this going to take?"

"A little while. Geez, you're impatient!" Lisanna reproaches, but her brush speeds up nevertheless. "OK, done!"

Immediately, I scramble to my feet and seize my mirror, almost cracking it in the process. Then suddenly I'm face-to-face with a glowing creature, whose features are so defined and flawless that she looks almost elfish. Her skin is milky-white, and the brush strokes around her eyes make her chocolate orbs look wider than usual, and with every blink she scatters small clouds of delicate silver glitter.

Then I realise, _hey, it's me._

"Admiring yourself there, Lucy?" Cana calls, and I sheepishly spin around from the mirror.

"No! It's just that Lisanna did a really good job…" I trail off, tucking a strand of golden hair behind my ear. OK, so maybe I was admiring myself, but that's because of Lisanna's awesome makeup. "Well, I was, but it was all Lisanna's work!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lisanna waves it off modestly, laughing. "Mira-nee's skill will make you look a hundred times better, I promise!"

The door is thrown open at that moment and Mirajane is there, with her hands planted on her hips and smiling her modelesque smile at me. What is with these girls and their crazy sense of coming-in-on-timeness? "Hi, girls! I heard that you wanted me to do makeup?"

"Yes, Mira-san! Over here!" Wendy scoots over and places her small hands on Mirajane's shoulders, steering her over to where I now stand by the mirror. "She needs her makeup done for her date, remember, Mira-san?"

"Of course! I'll make her look good enough so that Natsu can't resist her!" Mirajane wiggles her fingers in anticipation, a dark, devilish aura beginning to surround her. "Lisanna, give the makeup to me!"

* * *

"Done!" Mirajane gives a flourish as she puts the last finishing touch on my eyelashes, which I'm pretty sure reaches my nose considering the amount Mirajane slicked on. I open my eyes slowly, my sight blue-tinted after closing them for so long, and make to stand up from my cross-legged position, but Levy makes an almighty lunge and pins me down. "Oi! Levy-chan?"

"You're not allowed to see until the end, now! We want it to be a surprise, Lu-chan. But don't worry, you look gorgeous!" Levy gushes, accompanied by the fervent nods of my friends.

Wendy suddenly leaps forward, brandishing her hair products. Looks like it's her time to shine. "Lucy-san, I'm going to do your hair for you into a waterfall braid! You like?"

"A waterfall braid?" I say disbelievingly. I can't even do a stupid normal plait on my hair! "You can do that?"

"You should see her go!" Cana cackles, playing with a silver chain necklace. "She can even do super-complicated ones, like a half-up half-down with French plaits with a donut bun with volume on the fringe!"

"I'm still learning," Wendy says, but I can see she's ultra-proud of herself. "Now, Lucy-san, if you please!"

Sighing but also grinning slightly, I plump myself down on the ground again and let Wendy do her thing. Delicate fingers manipulate the silky strands expertly, twisting and pinning them in every such way. Soon, there's a steady rhythm as she starts the complicated braid, calmly and gently braiding the strands together. After like a minute or so, she grabs a pin and a hair-tie and a giant black rose-pin and finishes her masterpiece without a ripple.

Is this girl a – a _hair ninja _or something?

"_Sugoii_, Wendy-san!" Juvia bends down and lightly examines the perfect hairdo. "You're amazing!"

Mirajane admires my hair from her perch on my vanity stool. "You could be the hair stylist for models, Wendy!"

It takes every ounce of my willpower not to shove Erza's anchoring hand off and race for the mirror. Taking in a deep breath, I say, "I'm sure it looks awesome, Wendy! Now, what's next?"

"_Matte, _you still need to have finishing touches!" Erza declares, and grabs the straightener and curler and wields both like weapons of mass destruction. Quickly, she heats them up by plugging them into a powerpoint and then reaches for my hair, curling and straightening where needed. It's over in about thirty seconds, much to my relief. "There!"

"Thank you, Erza!" I smile at the redhead as she proudly gathers up her hair utensils, nodding at her handiwork.

"OMG, Lu-chan, it's time for your dress!" Levy squeals, jumping up and down and immediately producing the red material I saw before from behind her. "It's so pretty and I know it'll suit you perfectly! Natsu will love it!"

"O – OK!" I smile at Levy's eagerness and discreetly turn my back on the girls, strip down quickly (ignoring the comments that say things like 'her butt's really firm, Natsu will like that', 'her boobs are so big!', 'her legs are really long.'), and unfold the dress. It's strapless and quite long, reaching down the middle of my calves and a long, revealing slit goes from there to my hips.

"Guys!" I complain, craning my head backwards. "Did you _purposely _pick one that happened to have a giant cut on the side? It shows way too much!"

"Nothing wrong with showing a bit of leg, is there?" Erza crows, crossing her arms and grinning at my expression. "Lucy, it'll fine."

"Fine," I grumble, and step into the dress, feeling the soft, cool material against my curves. With a little twirl, I face my friends and open my arms out wide. "How does it look?"

"Ooh!" Everyone in the room gasps at once, in amazement or disgust, I can't tell. "You look…"

"Sexy!" Cana states simply. All the girls nod in agreement, stars in their eyes as they take in my appearance. Oh, how I wish I had a mirror!

"Natsu-san will like that, Juvia thinks!" Juvia tells me, and hands me the gorgeous high heels. Luckily, Father liked me wearing high heels, saying it was ladylike, so I won't be stumbling around like a zombie tonight. "Here you go, Lucy-san. They've been broken in, by the way!"

"Oh, thank you, Juvia!" I say, and strap on the shoes, admiring the shiny black straps and the needle-sharp stiletto. "These are so cute! Thank you, everyone, for the effort you went to for this!"

"No problem!" Lisanna smiles at me, starting to pack up the makeup strewn everywhere. "Now, Cana, do your stuff!"

Cana unfolds from the floor, jewellery hanging from her spidery thin fingers, making her look like an exotic princess. Or something like that. "Now, Lucy, I was going to make you choose, but…" She glances at my bedside clock. "…we don't have a lot of time…"

Uh-oh. If Cana says we don't have time, _we don't have time. _"Um, how much do we have left?"

Cana hesitates, the elegant bracelets and necklaces swinging. "…Two minutes."

"WHAT?!" I screech, agitated, and Cana instantly picks out a shiny gold bangle and a thick choker necklace, of course gold in colour. She loops it around my neck and wrist, and then quickly produces a curious coloured glass bottle from her pocket – or it could be her beer barrel. That girl is full of surprises.

"Here, Lucy, this perfume is called _Desire _by Tiffany Souler," Cana hastily explains as the soothing mist settles over me. It smells nice – sharp, like peppermint, yet sweet, like candy. "The name is appropriate, don'tcha think? Natsu won't be able to resist –"

"Can you guys stop that?" I roll my eyes but everyone just laughs.

"Now, quick, check yourself in the mirror and go! It's almost seven!" Levy shouts, almost as panicky as me.

Almost shoving poor Mirajane out the way, I flick a latch on my mirror and it flips out to its full length, which is about my size. Hurriedly, I examine the person staring back at me.

_Whoa._

This girl – she looks – _amazing_!

Her face, for starters, is otherworldly, with unnaturally wide, deep eyes with smoky purple and grey wings gracing her eyelids, and just enough eyeliner to accentuate her lashline. And – oh God, I was right. Her eyelashes, with just a small sheen of silver to them, are indeed almost reaching my nose, sooty and beautiful. Her cheeks are dusted with light pink, as if forever blushing, and her lips are plump and deliciously red. Of course, the girls couldn't resist doing _that._

Her red dress hugs her curves and the slit looks good – not seductive like I thought it would be. A small flare on the waist makes the skirt part of the dress stick out a tiny bit, but not enough for it to look unfashionable. And, before you ask, it's low-cut at the chest. Thanks, Levy.

Blonde, gently curly hair tumbles down her back, with a few strands thrown carelessly over her bare, dewy shoulder. It looks like there are tiny diamonds threaded through her delicate, perfect braid, and the mysterious rose is perched prettily where the petite plait ends.

Gold glitters at her milky neck and wrists, making her shine radiantly. Then it's the shoes, giving the illusion that her legs are incredibly long and white against the black. I almost feel tears coming to my eyes – of gratitude. Why the heck was I complaining? These girls or the best friggin' friends ever!

"Now, now, Lucy, no crying! Your makeup will come off!" Mirajane scolds, but she smiles as I turn my watery, thankful gaze on her.

Before I can thank them, however, there's a timid knock on my door and everyone freezes. Natsu's voice floats in through the door. "Um, Luce? I've come to pick you up!"

_Ah. The _moment.

Levy starts hyperventilating silently and Juvia giggles. Erza grabs my hand and pushes me (roughly) towards the doorway where Natsu should be waiting, whispering, "Go, Lucy, go!"

Then, I'm out the door, ready to face my fate.

* * *

**Done! Is this a good enough cliffhanger? Hehehe *evil face* I'm sorry that the date wasn't in here and instead just a tonne of girly stuff. Sorry! :3**

**Btw, I'm doing Natsu's P.O.V in the next chappie ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed! Review if you can!**

**Until next time~!**


	10. Chapter - The Date!

**OMG RIZZY DECIDED TO UPDATE EARLY IT'S A FRIGGIN' MIRACLE is what you guys are probably think xD**

**I couldn't wait to do the date part, so I finished it early! :3 Sorry if it's rushed, I'm sleepy as hell, haha.**

**LucyCelestialWi: Haha thank you!**

**TheGrammarQueen: I really enjoyed writing the chapter so I'm glad you liked it :) and haha, same, because my graduation is in a couple of weeks *sweatdrop***

**Now, enjoy Natsu and Lucy's date! **

* * *

~Chapter Ten - The Date!~

Natsu is standing there, in all his adorable and spiky-pink-haired glory, his hands sheepishly shoved into his pockets. Then, as he sees me practically get catapulted out the doorway, his deep, charcoal eyes light up – and then they grow really wide.

"W – Whoa, Luce, you look r – r – really g – good," Natsu's eyes roam my body seemingly in amazement as I shuffle my feet awkwardly. He visibly gulps when he sees the slit on the side of the red dress and the low-cut chest part. Damn it, I knew it was too revealing!

"Uh, t – thanks, Natsu." I smile at him weakly. "You look really good too."

And he does. He's clad casually in a jet-black shirt, white baggy pants and black sandals.

Suddenly, my magnificent makeup and hairstyle and dress don't seem as wonderful anymore. Compared to him, I look like I'm trying _way _too hard. Besides, we're going to be in a movie theatre, right? It's going to be dark half the time! Mentally, I slap my forehead and resist the urge to run back into my room and hide in the wardrobe.

"Oh, um, by the way, we're going to the Fairy Tail Forest Café for dinner before we, like, go to the m – movies," Natsu tells me embarrassedly, still eyeing me. "If you don't mind."

"OMG, really?" I squeal before I can stop myself. It's super-expensive there! "Of course I don't mind!" On impulse, I grab Natsu's arm and hug it to my chest. Forget about the awkwardness; I didn't get all jazzed up for nothing! Smiling up at him, I exclaim, "Come on, Natsu, let's go!"

Natsu's signature childish, sunny grin is back on his face as he peers down at me. Oh, how I've missed the loud, non-shy Natsu! Although he's still cute that way, too… "OK!"

He takes me into the lounge with me still clinging onto his arm. Unfortunately, all the guys are in it, sitting around and of course, they wolf-whistle and smirk when they see me and Natsu. Immediately, I let go of his muscled arm like it's a hot potato.

But then, Natsu just promptly seizes my hand and hooks it back around his wrist, still grinning down at me cheerfully. "Luce, don't be embarrassed, we're just _friends_ after all!" He crows, ignoring the splutters and snorts that ensue from this comment. 'Kay, I take it back. I miss the shy Natsu. "Don't listen to those bastards."

"Who're you calling 'bastard', ashy brains?" Gray roars.

"Yeah, fire pants!" Gajeel yells, raising a fist.

"Ya wanna go, metal face, Popsicle princess?" Natsu jeers, cracking his knuckles. He seems to have forgotten that someone is hanging onto his arm...

"Oi. Natsu. Cut it out, you have your date," Jellal reminds calmly, and I silently thank him. "Hurry up."

"Oh, yeah!" Natsu turns his head to look down at me apologetically while I raise an eyebrow at him. I've never perfected that art, so it probably looks as if I'm just stretching my forehead out or something. Whoopsies. "Sorry, Luce. OK, time for the Fairy Tail Forest Café!" He declares.

* * *

I raise a forkful of delicious roast quail to my mouth, but I just can't bring myself to put it in.

Why?

Because the pinkhead sitting in front of me is very loudly, very rudely and very obliviously shoving multiple plates of food into his mouth and once and attempting to talk to me at the same time.

Case in point:

"Hey, Wuce! Ware wyuu wenjoying dwiis?" Natsu burbles, grabbing a plate with both hands and chugging it into his already full mouth.

"Well, if you mean the food, yes. But the fact that you're eating way too fast and way too much is distressing me!" I yell, flapping my arms in agitation. The other people seated around us exchange looks and shake their heads.

"Sowwy, Wuce," Natsu mumbles, slowing down considerably and giving me the ultimate puppy eyes. Almost instantly my steely anger and disgust shatters and my expression softens.

"It's OK, Natsu. You're taking me out, after all," I smile slightly. That boy could get anything he wants with those eyes. "Anyway, I'd rather not eat too much because my makeup will probably get ruined."

Uh-oh. Ultra-prissy-girly-girl Lucy has just made an appearance!

Natsu just wipes his mouth with a napkin and simply stares at me for a long while, to the point where I start to wonder whether my makeup actually _is _ruined. If so, Mirajane will kill me. "Luce, you look pretty with or without it," He says seriously, not breaking my gaze. "So eat!"

"R – really?" I look to the side, embarrassed, but Natsu appears to have not noticed he's paid me a compliment (or technically a pick-up line) and continues wolfing down the many meals laid in front of him. I pick up my fork again at his words, grinning like an idiot. "Thanks!"

"_Ala, ala,_" An all-too-familiar, musically sweet voice tuts, scarily close to my ear. "Already flirting here?"

"MIRA-CHAN?" I shriek and almost topple off my chair but manage to grasp my elegant chair at the last second. Upside-down, I see that it is indeed Mirajane, smiling pleasantly at me and holding up a ceramic bowl full of Caesar salad. "Why are you here?!" I exclaim as I brace my heels against the table and flip myself up.

"Luce, are you an acrobat or something?" Natsu guffaws in the midst of chewing on a golden jacket potato, apparently not very interested in the new arrival.

"No," I say shortly, and turn to Mirajane.

"Lucy, I work here, remember?" She laughs, tossing her cascade of silvery hair back, but winks discreetly at my slack face. "I simply came to check up on my favourite couple!"

"_Mira_!" I protest, scowling as best as I can at her. How much more embarrassing can you get? "We're not a couple. Just friends."

"Oh, the classic friend-zone, huh?" Mirajane chuckles.

"Luce is my friend!" Natsu pipes up cheerfully, not understanding the conversation at all. I swat his head and roll my eyes. Oh, that guy.

"Just concentrate on eating your food, _baka._"

"Ah! Ah! Lover's quarrel!" Mirajane gasps, clasping her hands to her chest, riveted.

"Yeah! Lucy and I love each other!" Natsu chips in, once again not reading the situation.

"_Natsu_!" I swing my fist onto his head again, this time a lot harder, despite the warm glow in my chest. Said pinkette flops back into his chair, dazed. "Eat your food and shut up!"

"Of course you love each other!" Mirajane can't get enough and she wipes an imaginary tear off the corner of her eye. Then she bends down and leans close to my ear again, whispering, "The girls are here too. We're going to be watching over you on your date~!"

She cannot be serious!

"Wait, WHAT?" I screech, jumping violently. "Mira-chaaaaan, you can't!"

"We can and we will!" She sings, and sidles away before I can shout at her. "Good luck!"

"Hey, what did she say about watching over you on your date?" Natsu asks after she leaves, rubbing a lump on his head.

Crap. He heard that! How?! He must have superhuman hearing. "Um…sorry. Mirajane is weird!" I laugh shakily, running a hand through my sparkly hair and making a mental note to never let her into my lovelife again. Well, it's too late now. "How did you hear that, anyway?"

He shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "I was just born with really good hearing."

"And sharp teeth?" I add quizzically, trying to raise an eyebrow. Oops, I did it again.

He looks at me and laughs, showing said pointed incisors. "Yeah!"

As we converse some more, I realise how nice it is to just talk, merely as friends, with jokes and laughter and casualness. If only I didn't like him…then he would be a really good person to just hang out normally with.

After about half an hour of chatting, Natsu peers at the time glowing at him from his phone screen, where he was showing me a picture of a blue cat he saw in an alleyway yesterday. "Hey, it's almost time for the movie!"

"Oh!" To be honest, I forgot about that. I begin to stand up, reaching for my shiny black clutch (which was set on the table by Mirajane a while ago – I guess they forgot to supply that), and sift around for the sufficient funds needed for our meal. Or multiple meals, in Natsu's case.

Before I can pull out my credit card, however, a warm hand closes around my pretty gold bracelet and it's Natsu, waving his own card triumphantly in my face. "Hey, Luce, no way you're paying! It's traditional for the guy to!"

"W…what? Isn't that only for…" My blush returns to my face. Oh, well, I knew it would come back sooner or later. "…D – D –"

"Dates?" Natsu finishes, smirking, and I just nod wordlessly. "Too bad, we're making an exception here!" He takes advantage of my momentary distraction and snatches my hand, effectively dragging me to the counter.

A pretty girl in a green-and-white dress and a purple bob smiles at us from behind the bar. I recognise her as Kinana, the girl in my Science class, and I know her, if not somewhat vaguely. I heard that she's dating a guy called Cobra from Oracion Seis Academy. "Hello! Did you enjoy your meal?"

"Kinana!" I say, taken aback. "You work here?"

"Yep!" She smiles at me demurely, taking Natsu's card. "I'm only a rookie, but there's good pay! I'm saving up to buy Erik a birthday present!" She tells me excitedly.

"Huh? Who's Erik? I thought you were going out with Cobra?" I say sceptically.

Kinana giggles, handing the credit card back with a receipt. For a rookie, she's pretty good at this. "Cobra _is _Erik, Lucy!"

Ha, whoops. "_Right. _Sorry, I knew that."

"Like hell you did," Natsu's exasperated voice sounds from behind me and I spin around, pouting at him. "Come on, Luce, we're going to miss the movie!"

"Ah, sorry!" I call, and make to follow him, but I feel a firm hand clamp onto my shoulder before I can do so. Curiously, I turn to face the owner of the hand and find myself face-to-face with a devilish-looking Kinana, who's raising an eyebrow (unlike me, she can actually do it) and grinning.

"Have fun on your _date_! Don't let your makeup go to waste!" Kinana teases, and disappears, laughing, into the kitchen before I can protest.

Sigh. Typical.

* * *

_Ouch_! Once again, there's a tiny electric zap as Natsu and I both reach inside the popcorn bowl at the same time.

I recoil, once again. Then I twist my hands in my lap and keep my eyes glued to the giant movie screen. Once again.

Then, once again, I'll just go for the popcorn and get electrocuted, won't I?

Silently, I groan and pull at a silky strand of hair. I'm hungry, damn it!

Well, at least I have my bubblegum slushie. I sip at it and realise with anguish there's only a tiny sliver left of the coloured ice. _Nooo. _Now what will I eat? Popcorn, obviously, is not an option.

After the dinner at the café, we sped down the halls with Natsu still clutching my hand, and we both couldn't help laughing. Since on weekends you're allowed to hang out around the building and the outside until eleven (otherwise the gates will be locked), everyone was staring at us and pointing openly as we rushed past, down the many flights of stairs and out through the giant oak double doors. There my magnificent carriage (A.K.A a taxi) was waiting, and we caught it to the cinema, where we bought popcorn and my slushie and arrived at the movie just in time.

So now, here we sit, wordlessly watching the movie and with me dying of popcorn deprivation.

Now I regret not asking Natsu to buy more food, because he _did _ask at the snack bar of the cinema, but I wasn't hungry at the time. Stupid stomach, just deciding whether to be hungry or not!

Should I try again for the popcorn….?

It's worth a try, right? Besides, what are the odds of Natsu reaching for the popcorn at the same time as me for practically the fiftieth time?

Slowly, my fingers creep up like spiders towards where the popcorn lies, and I can see Natsu's muscled arm lying stationary by his side. Aha! Chance!

My hand shoots forward and dives for the golden kernels. Oh, how I wish for the delicious buttery popped corns to melt in my mouth…

But, of course, at the exact same moment, Natsu just _happens _to stick his hand in the bucket again. And – _zap! _

_Damn it!_

I snatch my hand back, almost tearing my beautiful hairstyle apart. Why, why, why?

Before I can murder someone, though, I hear some weird noises coming from the screen and look up.

What…

My cheeks bloom with heat and redness and I will myself _not to look at Natsu. _Because the two main protagonists of the movie are like…you know. Having fun on the bed, let's say.

When I was first watching this movie, I thought this was a lot like my life. A girl with a troubled past came to a new school, met a guy, fell in love, blah blah blah.

But yeah…I'll say that I don't think that way anymore.

* * *

~Natsu P.O.V~

Sh*t. Can this get any more awkward? Why did I have to choose a movie with a freaking _sex scene _in it?

I mean, if I was with the icicle head or any of the other guys, we would've just laughed our goddamn heads off. Because it does look kind of ridiculous. But no, unfortunately I happen to be sitting next to the most beautiful girl in the world – namely, Lucy Heartfillia.

I finally gathered the courage to ask her out (under the pretence that it was an 'outing between friends' – Romeo's idea), and the movie that I chose by the name – _Dragon's Love_ – just had to have _that _in it.

I knew I should've chosen _Madagascar _instead.

In the seat next to me, I can see Lucy sitting stock-still like a statue in her seat in my peripheral vision. She's sucking on her slushie bottle and doesn't seem to realise that it's been empty for about two minutes now. I can tell she's trying to avoid my gaze, and good riddance, because it would get seriously awkward if we made eye contact.

As a distraction, I insert my hand into the popcorn bowl, because food always manages to take my mind off things. But then, I find another smooth, soft hand in it.

_Crap! _Why does this keep happening?! Every time I put my hand in the popcorn, Lucy's hand is always there – plus a little electric zap to go with it.

Then _it _happens.

I look up, she looks up.

_We're making eye contact with – with _that_ on the screen._

My hand automatically reaches for the back of my head and fluffs the short pink hairs at the back, which is what I do when I'm embarrassed, or at least that's what the pervert tells me, scornfully. Lucy's hypnotizing chocolate-brown eyes are wide and she doesn't break our gaze. Despite her usual dazzling beauty, the makeup she wore today just made her look like a – a _fairy, _or an angel or something, she's that beautiful. And that dress…why did she have to wear something so freaking revealing? The hair – and the jewellery that stand out against the milky-white skin…

OK, I'm starting to sound really sappy now.

We're still staring at each other, even with _that _still going. My fingers are lightly brushing hers and even through the pitch-darkness of the movie theatre, I can see that her face is completely red, and I have no doubt that I'm the exact same.

_Please, _I think fervently, _make this torture end!_

Then, as if on cue, the credits start rolling, the giant lights begin to brighten again and the people around us are sitting up, stretching and starting to leave.

Uh…

"W – Well," Lucy clears her throat, and I direct my gaze back to her again. She's twirling a blonde, slightly glittering strand of hair around her elegant finger, seemingly unknowingly. Does she even know the effect she has on me?! "T – that didn't have a – a very good s – storyline, it j – just ended there." Then she looks absolutely mortified and actually claps her hands to her (do I dare?) luscious red lips.

I just smile weakly at her and reach to help her up.

"Yeah, I a – agree." I say quietly. She hesitantly rests her delicate hand in mine and I relish at the feel of her soft yet firm skin against mine. "Come on, let's go."

"OK!" She smiles her graceful smile and is about to get up, but at the last second, she snaps out her spare arm and wraps it around the full popcorn bowl.

"Uh…Luce?" I stare quizzically at the box Lucy now hugs protectively to her chest, trying not to laugh. "Why are you carrying that?"

"It's a full box! We can't leave it back here!" She mumbles into the popcorn, looking insufferably cute. "Can I keep it?"

I roll my eyes and pull her out the seat, almost spilling the golden kernels in the process. "OK, OK, Luce, let's go, popcorn or no popcorn."

Lucy giggles musically and runs ahead of me, her soft hand still clasped in mine. "It's almost eleven; we don't want the gates closing on us!" She winks and I feel my heart backflip, as girly as that sounds.

Then she's pulling me out of the theatre, clutching the popcorn box to her chest and her laughter echoing in my ears, and I'll be damned if I wasn't laughing straight along with her.

* * *

~Back to Lucy's P.O.V~

I'm starting to feel quite sleepy. My head is starting to slip on the sleek leather of the taxi and the lights streaking past outside the window begin to become blurs of colours blending together. My eyelids feel like bricks and they slowly begin to slip…

A rough, large hand gently pushes my head onto a shoulder and my eyes shoot open, seeing Natsu's large obsidian ones mere centimetres from mine. He smiles gorgeously at me, and rumbles in a low tone, "Sleep, Lucy. You look tired."

"Mmm," I agree sleepily and my eyelids slide closed again, comfortable against Natsu's strong shoulder. My mind begins to wander through the events that happened today like I always do when I go to sleep. My face heats up majorly when I remember what happened at the movies. God, that was as awkward as hell!

After about three minutes of peaceful pondering, I feel the taxi shudder to a stop and a few murmured words as Natsu pays the fare or something. I just can't bring myself to open my eyes…

Then, suddenly, there's a strong hand on my shoulder blades and the other arm sweeps my legs up and _voila, _I'm being friggin' lifted up in bridal-style! I open my eyes rapidly, squirm and open my mouth to say something, but –

"Shh," Natsu whispers, his breath hot against my neck, and I resist the urge to jump a mile in the air. I must've tensed a bit, though, because he assures, "Relax, I'm taking you up to our dorm."

Then I lapse into a calm state where all I feel is the gentle sway and bump as Natsu carries me to the winding path to our dorm, snuggling against his well-toned chest. A short while later, he's stopped by what I presume is our door, but I can't tell. He flicks my forehead and whispers, "Psst. Luce, we're here."

I crack open an eye and groan, wiggling around a bit before slipping out of his grip and almost feeling my knees buckle from beneath me. I smile sleepily at Natsu, and for the third time my eyes flick open fully in realisation when the heavy fog of fatigue clears out of my brain. Of course, of course. This is the _critical time. _You know, when a boy and girl go out and the boy drops her off and they thank each other and they…?

I squeal a little and clutch my cheeks. Is he going to? Well, he did say that it was an 'outing between friends'. Yeah, right.

I decide to make first move.

"Hey, Natsu…" I say softly.

"Yeah?" He replies, snapping out of some kind of reverie. "What is it, Luce?"

"Thanks for taking me out," I grin, punching his shoulder lightly. "It was fun."

_Apart from that end part of the movie, _my inner self giggles.

"You're welcome, Luce."

Now we wait for the magic moment.

First, there's about a minute's awkward silence. Then Natsu abruptly grabs my shoulders and his mouth is slightly parted and his face is closer and _oh God _and he's so close I can barely bear it and –

"Mew!"

_Are you friggin' serious?_

"Mrow!"

"What's that?" Natsu breaks away from me and inside my head I'm ripping chunks of my hair out. He hunkers down and his eyes widen as he picks up something by the door. It looks bright blue – and when he turns around to face me ecstatically, I realise it _is _blue.

It's that cat Natsu showed me on his phone at the café.

"Luce! Luce! It's the cat! Isn't it cute?" He gushes, and I can't help but smile at his eagerness. Who knew that guy had a soft spot for cats? "It's blue, too! And it's got really wide black eyes!"

"Huh." I try not to hold a grudge against the cat that ruined my first kiss with Natsu as I lean down so we're eye-to-eye. The cat simply stares at me with its big eyes and releases a meow that sounds, strangely, a lot like 'aye'.

"Did you hear that? It said 'aye'!" Natsu says in awe, staring at the now preening cat. "Awesome!"

"Yeah, cool." Suddenly, all my previous exhaustion hits me like a tidal wave and I stagger back, yawning widely. "Sorry, Natsu, I'm really tired…"

"Oh, Luce, it's OK. We should probably go in." He quietly turns the knob, still holding the purring cat close to his chest. Surprisingly, the entire room is dark and everyone seems to have gone to sleep. I hear a small 'see ya, Luce' from behind me and stumble through the, for some reason, open door of my bedroom and leap onto my bed, crawling onto it and not even caring about the makeup and dress and just having the time to kick off my heels before collapsing onto the soft blankets.

Needless to say, I fall into dreams filled with giant blue cats that say 'aye' and electric shocks involving popcorn.

* * *

**Yay! So Happy made an appearance, ruining the suspense kiss! Woohoo! :D**

**I don't really have anything to say right now, lol, 'cause I'm really sleepy yo.**

**Until next time, guise! Leave a review if possible~~**


	11. Chapter 11 - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 1)

**Hi! Another chapter yo.**

**By the way, thank you so much for the most reviews I've ever had for one chapter so far! :D you guys rock~**

**dallas.n05: OMG. I cannot handle so much praise in one review*^* thank you so, so much! And I couldn't resist. Happy is just a troll in that way xD**

**midnightstardust: YE NALU FTW!**

**TheGrammarQueen: Samee :3 and no way! I love your reviews! I know you'll be reviewing every chapter and it has me wondering, "Oh, I wonder what TheGrammarQueen will write this time?" :D so keep reviewing, 'kay? **

**LucyCelestialQueen: Oh, you changed your username! :D haha! Anyway, don't worry, Natsu and Lucy will get their special moment without Happy ruining it soooooon ;) **

**Heyalol: aw, thank you very much~ I'll try my best to update sooner!**

**Fairytailsfanshelly: HEHEHE I couldn't help it! I HAD to put something awkward in there, otherwise it just wouldn't be complete xD**

**Disclaimer: I donut own Fairy Tail. That genius called Mashima-sensei does :)**

**OK! Story-time, kiddies!**

* * *

~Chapter Eleven - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 1)~

"Lu-chan! Lu-chan! I have awesome news!" Levy squeals, leaping over to my desk when our long, drab Science lesson has finally reached an end.

If Levy says it's good news, it's probably just a new addition to her candy stash or something. But this time, I decide to give her a try. Resting my chin on my hand, I say, "Oh, yeah? What?"

Levy looks like she's going to burst as she jumps up and down like a crazed party popper, her bright hair flying. "Our dorm is going to the beach tomorrow!"

"Eh?!" My head shoots up, meeting Levy's excited gaze. She's piqued my interest now – back at my lady's academy, we never took the day off for whims like that. It was just all work, work and nothing but work. "_Honto? _How do you know?"

Levy grins as she spins delicately on her heel, beckoning Cana, who is seated on the top of a faraway table, flirting with some random guy who is clearly smitten. The brown-haired beauty sighs audibly as she sees Levy flapping her hand and slips off, stalking over to us. "Oi. What do you girls need?"

"Cana, tell Lu-chan how you found out!" Levy chirps, bouncing around crazily. Gosh, that girl really is pumped for this trip.

"Well, Lucy, I overheard the guys talking about going to the beach. It seems like it's going to be some kind of team/game kind of thing, and they paired us up, girl-boy, as each team –"

"But how?" I interrupt immediately. "There are seven of us and six of them. That equals thirteen." Like hell I'm really worried about that. I'm worried if I end up by my lonesome. That would suck.

Cana rolls her eyes but smiles slightly nevertheless. "_Hai, hai, _Lucy. I'm getting to that. They said they're inviting Bacchus, my boyfriend, from Quattro Cerberus Academy, as well."

Hey…Cana has a _boyfriend? _How come no one told me this? "_No way! _Cana, you're attached?" I gasp, my hand flying up to my gaping mouth.

Levy nods happily, answering for Cana. "Yup! They always met up at night and had drinking contests, and then recently he finally gathered the guts to ask her out."

Right…not your typical high-school romance, then. "And here I thought you were the only girl in our dorm without a sweetheart," I shake my head in disappointment without even meaning to.

"Hey! Lucy, that's mean! Anyway, so they're planning to break the news and the teams out to us tonight." Cana informs, leaning against my desk.

"_Sugoii. _They really did go to an effort to plan this, didn't they?" I marvel, and Levy nods very quickly in fervent agreement. Geez, did she drink too many cans of Red Bull today or something?

Science was the last lesson of the day, so we begin to gather up our bags, chattering about the beach day as we do so. Lisanna sidles over to us, silent for a couple of minutes as she takes in what we're talking about.

"A beach day, huh?" She says, tapping her chin as we climb the tightly curling flight of stairs to our dorm. "Sounds good. But I'm not too sure about the teams…"

"Why? Worried you won't end up with lightning boy?" I tease, and Lisanna immediately flushes rosy pink at this.

"N – no!" She protests, but we just tut pityingly, shake our heads and enjoy seeing the petite white-haired girl flip out.

We've reached the door by now, and Levy pushes it open. Immediately we notice that everyone is sitting cross-legged on the floor in a circle (including Natsu's blue cat he named Happy – I don't know why, because he definitely doesn't make me happy), making it look like story-time or something. Ah, good times, good times.

Cana, seemingly thinking the same thought as me, squeals and makes a giant jump forward, settling comfortably between Gray and Juvia in the circle. "How _kawaii_! It's so nostalgic, with everyone sitting like this!"

"Just so you know, we're not sharing fairy tales," Laxus growls exasperatedly, and I smile at the irony of this.

Once Levy and I have found our places in the large circle, Natsu jumps up, a wide, excited smile taking over his face and hugging Happy to his chest, who meows in his strange way. You know, 'aye'? "_Minna! _The guys and I have planned something awesome for everyone." Cana, Levy, Lisanna and I cast each other knowing looks at this. "We're going to the beach tomorrow!"

"Aye!"

The remaining girls, Erza, Juvia and Wendy, squeal delightedly and cheer, while the rest of us try our best to look surprised.

Jellal seems to notice from his seat next to Erza and narrows his eyes slightly, leaning discreetly over to Gajeel on his right and whispering something in his heavily pierced ear.

Gajeel, however, is not that discreet at all. He leaps up onto his feet, practically foaming at the mouth at whatever Jellal said. "HEY! SOME OF THE GIRLS WERE SPYING!"

Oh.

Damn, I suck at acting.

Gray jerks back, sceptical. "Are you sure? They look pretty happy to me." He gestures at the redhead and the two blue-haired girls who are currently participating in a group hug. I give a small sigh of relief.

"No, _them!_" Gajeel roars, and brings down his giant iron hammer of judgment (A.K.A his finger) upon us, pointing dramatically at me, Cana, Levy and Lisanna.

"All right, you got us," Cana sighs, raising her hands in surrender. "Sorry, guys."

All the guys' faces fall, looking so comical that laughter bubbles out between my lips at their downcast expressions. "You don't need to look so sad!"

"Perhaps – did you hear when we were – um, discussing the teams?" Romeo stammers, glancing furtively at Wendy, who looks nonplussed.

"Uh, no. What teams?" Cana denies innocently, but she flashes me a secret wink in my direction. Ah, so she did, that devious girl. "Don't worry your little head, Romeo; I didn't hear your secret things."

Romeo's face goes so red I expect him to start steaming. Levy giggles at his rosy face from beside me. "U – Um, OK."

For some reason, all the guys sigh heavily in apparent relief in unison, making us girls quirk an eyebrow (except me, because I still can't do it). Natsu quickly continues talking, seeing the girls' suspicion. "Well, anyway, even if it didn't come as a surprise, it's still exciting, right? So we asked Gramps if we could –"

"Gramps?" I question, frowning. "Do you have a grandfather at this school or something?" Hm. Who would be a possible grandpa candidate for Natsu? Freed-sensei? Um, no. Siegrain-sensei? No, they friggin' hate each other to death. Hibiki? Nah, Natsu's not a playboy. Evergreen-sensei? Uh…she's a girl, Lucy. Gildarts-sensei –

Natsu waves a hand dismissively, laughing and snapping me out of my contemplation. "No way! Gramps isn't my grandpa; he's the principal. We just call him that because we've known him for ever, practically. Anyway, he gave us permission so we're set to go to the beach tomorrow for the whole day!"

Everyone cheers (and Happy 'aye's), even the people who already knew. Now that I think about it, it'll be really fun! Sand, sea, sun… not to mention an awesome tan! "Natsu! Get on with the teams already," Laxus berates impatiently, and I see Lisanna blush again.

"OK, OK," Natsu rolls his eyes, tugging at his white scaly scarf. "So, first team to be established was…" He reaches out a muscled arm and suddenly, it loops around my neck, pulling me to him completely unexpectedly. I let out a surprised squeak. "Me and Lucy!"

There's a short amount of tumultuous applause. Are they serious? "Go, Lucy!" Erza calls, and I sigh inwardly. The blue cat makes a curious noise that sounds a lot like 'liiiiike'. That damned kitty!

"Next is…Gajeel and Levy!" Natsu announces, and instead of applause, there's catcalls and teasing and blushes from Levy. I give the flustered bluenette a thumbs-up as she plonks herself next to the tough, pierced guy and she just smiles weakly at me. It's about time they hooked up – there's been no action between them since the Truth or Dare game on the first night.

"After that is…Jellal and Erza!" Natsu declares, and everyone claps again, not looking surprised at all. Jellal awkwardly slings an arm around Erza's waist and she looks away, blushing. Aw, cute.

"So now…Romeo and Wendy!" The pinkhead gestures grandly at the two. Like this wasn't totally obvious, Wendy squeaks a bit and hides her face behind her beautiful vivid hair and Romeo attempts to crouch behind Laxus's hulking figure. Rolling his eyes, the blonde grabs Romeo's luxurious orange scarf and hauls him out easily with one hand to sit by an embarrassed Wendy.

"Then…Laxus and Lisanna!" Natsu flourishes, while Laxus pulls that tsundere thing by 'hmph'ing and glancing away grudgingly as Lisanna smiles the biggest smile I've ever seen and grabs his arm.

"Because we knew we had an odd number of people, we decided to call Bacchus, Cana's boyfriend, over from Quattro Cerberus Academy to pair up with Cana!" Natsu classifies, and everyone applauses. Apparently, everyone knew that Cana and Bacchus were an item, except me. Typical.

"And last and least because it has Ice Princess in it…Stripper and Juvia!" Natsu says cheerfully, while everyone just facepalms or sighs.

Juvia rushes over to Gray who glares furiously at the rambunctiously laughing pinkette. "Bastard…" He begins to grumble, but stops instantly as Juvia dives on him, crying rivers of tears and clutching his unfortunate bare arm in a vice-like grip.

I feel for you, Gray.

"Gray-sama, why did you choose me last?" Juvia wails, and Gray starts to look a bit panicky. "Am I not good enough for you?! Gray-sama!"

"N – No. That's not it!" Gray begins to assure, but is drowned (literally) out by Juvia's sobbing.

"Anyway," Jellal takes over for Natsu, who is now rolling around on the floor and beating it with his fists in his laughter. "So, those are your teams. You have to stay together, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun! We're just going to have a couple of games and stuff, like good ol' swimming competitions and volleyball." Then Jellal's face suddenly changes, a shadow glancing off his forehead and his eyes glinting evilly. I shuffle back a bit, unconsciously gripping Wendy's thin arm. Who knew Jellal could get this scary…?

"_But,_" He begins, and I groan out loud. There's always a _but._

"Some games might not be what you expect. That is all. Look forward to it!" Jellal grins, looking positively devious. As soon as he sits down, Erza accosts him at once, firing numerous questions at him but he refuses to answer, still smiling.

I knew it! The guys have something up their sleeves. Grumbling, I unfold my legs from the floor and start thinking about what I should wear. One-piece? No way, to grandma-y. No one wears those nowadays. A bikini sounds good, but to wear a safe one or a revealing one?

I sigh, running a hand through my blonde hair. Damn those first-world problems…

* * *

It's the beach day!

Golden sunlight filters gently through my shuttered blinds and my clock announces that it is ten A.M, and the beach day starts at eleven.

But I'm taking precautions this time, knowing my previous accidents involving time management.

I shuffle through my beach-wear things, trying to disentangle the knotted strings of the bathers all stuffed hastily into a drawer in my wardrobe. Damn it, I'd never got to organising my normal clothes, let alone my bikinis and my one-pieces.

I've decided, though, that one-pieces are off-limits for today. Bikinis are priority. Also, after long, thorough contemplation, I'm decided to go for revealing. You can't go wrong with that, can you? Plus the added fact that Natsu is my teammate…

Grinning slightly, I give an almighty tug and my favourite star-patterned bikini comes tumbling out, along with its counterpart.

Yay! I immediately shimmy out of my pyjamas (consisting of an oversize t-shirt and plaid shorts) and slide the bathers on, knotting the top part smoothly at my neck. I peer in the mirror as I do. Hm, not bad. Apart from the fact that I last wore this three years ago, and the top of the bikini is made of mere triangles that barely cover my admittedly busty chest. Apart from that, though, it looks OK.

I grab a shirt and denim shorts to take off at the beach, because I definitely don't want to make the journey like this. And despite myself, I feel excitement bubbling in the pit of my stomach. I wonder what's going to happen today! What were those 'games that you won't expect' that Jellal was talking about? Hmm. All I can say is that today will be an eventful day.

"Lu-chan!" Comes the distant call. "Can I borrow your sunscreen?"

Shoot. Sunscreen. I forgot. Luckily, after years in my childhood suffering greasy layers of the stuff and being teased of having an oily face, I acquired a spray one that leaves your skin looking a little matte, but that's it. It's better than having a shiny face. "Um…sure, Levy-chan!" I dig around in my wardrobe, pull out the bottle and just throw it out the slightly ajar door, knowing that Levy will be to catch it.

She does, the bottle landing safely in her hands. "Thanks, Lu-chan!"

"No problem." I smile and snatch up my gold flip-flops, which I absolutely adore because Mama gave them to me when she was still alive. Of course, they were much too big for me back then, and I questioned to why it was like that. She simply told me, "_It's for your older self; I'm sure when you have aged a little, you will appreciate it._" And I do! They're adorable.

I hear a clamour out in the lounge as Natsu's laugh can be heard. "Oh, Happy! Hit the ice brain again!"

"Aye!"

I sigh and close my wardrobe window, shaking my head but smiling. Lately Natsu and Happy have become inseparable – I've heard that the cat sleeps in his bed and Natsu sneaks out to buy cat food every now and then. But he quickly found out Happy preferred raw fish, so he switched.

I give myself one last fleeting glance in the mirror and grab my duffel bag. Slamming my door open, I realise that I'm the last one out in the lounge. Happy seems to be attacking Gray, with Juvia trying to fend the cat off and Natsu grinning and egging him on.

By the way, Natsu's abs look friggin' amazing since he's wearing swimming trunks. How is it possible to have such a toned chest at the age of seventeen?

"Would you guys give it a rest?" I complain nevertheless, slinging my bag over my shoulder and trying not to drool at the pinkhead's appearance. "It's too early in the morning!"

"We're going to the beach today!" Natsu crows, apparently not listening to a word I said. "Isn't it exciting? We're gonna win this thing, OK, Luce?"

"_Hai, hai, _whatever," I say, laughing. "So how are we going to get there?"

As if hearing my question, Gray coughs loudly, silencing the enthusiastic buzz of chatter lingering in the air. He's already lost his swimming trunks somewhere, and shows his _part _off to everyone in the room. I swear no one even looks away, even Wendy, because we're so used to it.

I, however, have not come to terms with a guy parading around the room naked. I sigh and shutter my eyes with my fingers as Gray clambers up on the coffee table.

"_Minna_! So, today is our ultimate beach day!" Gray pumps his fist in the air, followed by raucous cheers. "Get ready to have fun, guys!"

"I hope some couplings happen!" Someone sings by the doorway, and I feel like running back to my bed and never coming out when I see the smiling, matchmaker-mad model – namely, Mirajane.

"Why is Mira-chan here?!" I yelp, aware of the absolutely horrified expression that must be showing on my face right now. "I thought it was only us."

"Lucy!" Mirajane protests, looking injured. "I volunteered, obviously!"

"Nooo!" I cry, lunging forward and grasping Natsu's arm, attempting to hide behind it. Why, why, why? "I don't want her to come along! She's too matchmaker – y!"

Natsu laughs out loud, using his free arm to pat my forehead. "Don't worry, Luce, I'll protect you!"

Mirajane shrieks, practically fangirling. "See? _This _is why I match-make! To bring together couples that are obviously perfect for each other but don't realise it, like you and N –"

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna cuts in reproachfully, and I heave a great sigh of relief. "Stop, you're embarrassing them!"

Instead of stopping, Mira turns onto her sister, bringing her finger down dramatically and pointing at Laxus, who looks exasperated. "And _you_! You're obviously going to end up with Lisanna, Laxus! Oh, I wonder what your babies will look like…" Mirajane clasps her pale hands to her chest and raises her gaze to the ceiling, her smile goofy and ditzy as she imagines…whatever she's imagining. Lisanna squeaks and hides her face behind her hands.

"Mira!" Gray rolls his eyes and finally silences the rambling silver-haired matchmaker.

The door slams open again, and everyone turns their heads. Cana, however, leaps forward immediately and hugs the figure in the doorway tightly around the waist, squealing. "Bacchus! Just in time," She grins, and the guy steps forward, allowing us to take a better look at him.

His eyes are slanted like Natsu's, but sharper and more elongated and there are curious triangle tattoos embedded on the skin under them. His upper body is encased in tough purple armour and his legs are graced by baggy pants. I feel myself automatically snigger when I appraise Bacchus's hair. It's night-black and twined into the neatest topknot I've ever seen, and it nestles within a white, frilly scrunchie.

Well…all I can say is that he's not what I expected.

"Yo, everyone," Bacchus greets in a snarky, confident voice, swigging from some gourd hanging from his waist. "And hey, Cana."

"Bacchus, you forgot to come out yesterday and drink with me," Cana complains, flicking her shiny, wavy hair back and sticking out her bottom lip. Cana, _pouting_? Who is this Bacchus and what has he done with my alcoholic friend? "It was lonely, just drinking beer at our normal pub…"

Bacchus just chuckles and pulls Cana to him, and I wince because it looked like it hurt. "Sorry, babe. I'll make it up to you, by winning this stupid game."

Gray frowns along with the other guys, but no one comments. "Now to get onto the beach day!" Romeo speaks up meaningfully. "Your form of transportation: you hop into a taxi with your team and drive to the Strawberry Shore Beach! The first team to arrive at the shelter earns five points, and the last team gets one negative point. We'll explain more when we get there."

Every single team, including me and Natsu, look a bit overwhelmed at this, even the guys who were _in _on this. Romeo takes Wendy's hand and yells, "Ready, steady…"

All the couples – I mean, _teams_ – scramble into their places, all positioned at the door or some even holding their phones at the ready, probably thinking to call the taxi instead of waiting for one. That's a pretty good idea, we should try that!  
But as I turn around to suggest this to Natsu, he's not there. Instead, he's perched on the window sill! That idiot! What is he thinking?

Before I can yell my ass off at him, however, Romeo shouts, "_GO!_" And pandemonium ensues.

I'm standing there, shell-shocked, as teams stream past me. Lisanna and Laxus, Gajeel and Levy and Romeo and Wendy rush out the door, seeking a taxi outside. Bacchus whispers to Cana about some car he has and they take off. Jellal and Erza and Gray and Juvia stay inside, talking furiously into their phones. Mirajane gives us a 'good luck!' before running after them.

"Luce! Come on!" Natsu beckons and I storm over to him, planting my hands angrily on my hips. Is that guy serious? We'll be the last team by a mile, at this rate!

"What?!" I snap, but Natsu is not deterred.

"Luce, don't be so mad! We're at an advantage, see?" Natsu pulls out Happy from behind me, who 'aye's at me plaintively. "We have Happy!"

I feel a vein pulse on my forehead and resist the urge to slap the stupid blue cat away. Are they serious?! "_How will that help?_" I roar, and this time the pinkhead shrinks back a bit.

"W – well, you see, we're going to jump out the window!" Natsu blurts, and then without waiting for my biting '_don't be ridiculous!_' response that I have building in my mouth, he unlatches the window in one smooth move and leaps out, making sure to snag me on the way.

"AHHH!" I screech, probably deafening Natsu. But from what I know, our dorm is on the friggin' _eighth floor_! "We're going to die, aren't we?" I wail, feeling the harsh wind shoot past me and the heart-stopping, steadily increasing falling sensation that you always have in dreams.

"No!" Natsu hollers back over the screaming wind, and at this, there's a giant explosion of green fabric and suddenly – we're gliding.

Not falling to our deaths, but gliding.

Natsu chuckles when seeing my flabbergasted expression and holds up Happy, where the parachute, which I assume was the blast of green material was, is tied to. "When I got Happy, I put a parachute on him just in case he fell or something! And whaddaya know, it came in handy!" He says triumphantly, and I can't help but laugh at his ridiculousness. Who actually ties a parachute onto his pet cat?

Only my crush called Natsu Dragneel, of course.

We touch down on the grassy ground gently, the giant dome of fabric crumpling around us. He gathers Happy up, quickly unknots the parachute and casts his gaze around. No one is even out of the building yet. "Let's go, Lucy! We're in the lead!"

I smile at him softly, feeling bad about yelling at him before. Because of this, we're in first place! "Sorry for yelling at you, Natsu."

"S'OK, Luce," He grins, grabbing my hand and starting to run towards the invitingly open gates. "Come on! We have a game to win!"

* * *

**That is it for nao~ get ready next time, though, for some beach fun with couples! **

**Btw, guys, my holidays end in a few days TTATT I might not have a lot of time to write! I'm sowwy! I'll try my best, though.**

**OMG, guys, my birthday is in a couple of days. I'm sho excited! Cake, presents, more presents and did I say presents? xD**

**For an early birthday present, please follow and favourite and review. Please? **

**Thank you! And until next time, folks!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 2)

**Sorryyyyy guys, it's such a late update. But because of that, I've got an ultra-long chapter for you guys! Yaaay! **

**There may be typos and mistakes. I mean, who am I kidding?! There WILL be typos and mistakes.**

**LucyCelestialQueen: Thank you! And dun worry, that is in this chapter lmao~**

**dallas.n05: Awww, you so sweet! And thank YOU for…leaving awesome reviews! xD btw, there will be MANY NaLu moments in here mwhahaha!**

**TheGrammarQueen: Ahaah, that was one of my favourite parts lol! And who doesn't fangirl?! Everyone has that inner fangirl in them. :D**

**Happy Neko 6: *explodes* THAT. REVIEW. WAS. FRIGGIN'. AWESOME. First of all, you are so nice! You were supportive and constructive in your review! Second, thank you so much for suggesting things! It gave me lots of ideas~ and last but not least, I am so, so glad that you enjoy this story. OMG I almost cried when I read that review ;-; you ROCK, man. You REALLY do!**

**Disclaimer: I own an adorable Golden Retriever called Goldie, and Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail. The latter definitely drew the short straw here.**

* * *

~Chapter Twelve - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 2)~

"Blergghh," Natsu groans, and heaves for the hundredth time.

"Natsu, why didn't you tell me you had motion sickness?!" I snipe reproachfully, glaring at the pathetic, green-flushed pinky as he lies stationary on the leathery seat of our taxi. "And wait, why didn't you get sick on the time we went to the movies?"

"Agh. _Hic_ – I dunno – 'cause I was excited? _Hic! _Blech." Natsu tries to say this through gurgling hiccups and retches. Starting to feel a little sorry for him, I tentatively grab his head and hoist it into my lap. It must be living hell, to endure this.

Natsu peers up at me, surprised as I automatically raise a hand and brush it through his bright strands. Damn, why am I doing that? Struggling not to make eye contact, I marvel at how silky his hair is, despite its spikiness. Maybe he has some kind of special shampoo, or something like that. Natsu relaxes on my lap, closing his eyes and only suffering from an occasional cough and hiccup.

"Liiiike," Happy meows.

Ugh! That stupid cat! I snatch my hand back from Natsu like it's been burned (**A.N: Haha. Very punny) **and glare furiously at the feline, who calmly licks his paws and contentedly curls up on Natsu's chest. I swear that cat can understand us…

Harrumphing, I lean back onto my seat, but Natsu's hand sluggishly shoots out and seizes hold of my wrist.

"Ah!" I squeal, but an undeterred Natsu places my hand back onto his hair, clearly motioning for me to continue with the hair-combing thing.

"It feels good," He mumbles, hiccupping.

Glad that he can't see my tomato-red face, I hesitantly begin to shuffle my fingers through his thick hair. "Um, OK…" I mutter.

I knead his scalp like a friggin' piece of dough. I don't even know why I'm doing this; if one of the girls sees me and Natsu, especially Mirajane, it's game over.

Despite knowing this, I keep massaging Natsu's head and hair. His motion sickness seems to have dissipated completely, and he lies peacefully smiling on my thighs, murmuring incoherent things under his breath. Pretty soon, the steady rhythm of my hands lulls me into a calm trance.

All the while, Happy keeps his eyes trained on us, a catty grin stretching his mouth.

"Strawberry Shore Beach ahead in a couple of minutes," The gruff taxi driver suddenly says, snapping me out of my reverie.

Immediately I jump up, knocking an almost-asleep Natsu to the floor, who releases a startled cry as he crashes to the floor of the cab. He shakes the whole damn car. "Natsu! We're nearly there!" I exclaim, gesturing wildly at the front window, where I can spy the point of the shelter in the very distance.

Natsu's transportation weakness has returned with a vengeance. He clutches his stomach, groaning, but this time I have no sympathy. "Luce…I – help meeee," He wails, and I sigh at his hopelessness. Why do I even like this boy? With one hand, I snap up an 'aye'ing Happy more roughly than necessary and with my other free hand I grasp Natsu's arm just as the taxi shudders to a halt.

"Come on!" I yell, rifling around in the duffle bag, handing the bemused driver a couple of notes and then leaping out the door. Even as I do this, I can see more and more identical taxis pull up. Ah! It's the others! "_Natsu_!"

"Are – are we there yet?" He whimpers, shivering on the ground in spite of the beaming sun. "L – Luce?"

"Yes, we are! Natsu, hurry up!" I shake the comatose Natsu desperately, seeing the first couple burst out their taxi doors. Jellal and Erza. They've linked arms and sending me a pitying look, they make a run for it to the shelter. Oh hell no!

Laxus and Lisanna are next and they rush past us without a glance, along with Mirajane, who flicks me a thumbs-up. Then Cana and Bacchus. Then Gajeel and Levy. Gray laughs out loud as he and Juvia pass, yelling out 'great job, flame brain!' and then disappearing down to the shelter.

I groan. Great! Trust Natsu to mess this up –

"Luce!" Natsu bellows, suddenly jumping to his feet. "I'm better now!"

"Good," I say, with a hint of bitterness in my tone. I can't help it, though – it was _his _motion sickness that got us into practically last place!

Then I remember – there's still Romeo and Wendy. But they're fast advancing – I can hear the heavy breathing as the result of much running and the furiously pumping feet very close. But we still have a chance! "NATSU! HURRY UP!"

"_Yosh_!" Natsu grins, and as quick as a wink, an arm has swept my legs out from beneath me and the other supports my back, leaving me in a very familiar position – the bridal-style carry. "Let's go!"

I don't even complain as he takes off and just loop an arm around his neck, leaving the other safely nestled around Happy. I think I'm probably used to it now. But as the wooden log shelter looms closer, Romeo and his sweet blue-haired teammate are level with us, sprinting as fast as they can, and seeing this, Natsu tries his hardest to speed up, but they're still beside us, or maybe a little more, and –

"Finally!" Levy grumbles as both the teams skid to a stop in the shelter, gulping down giant lungfuls of air (except me, since I'm still being unwittingly carried). "I thought you guys would never arrive! Oh, yeah, and nice position, Lu-chan!"

Blushing, I slip out of Natsu's arms and settle with just standing beside him, carefully balancing Happy on my hands. I glance immediately at Mirajane, but she appears to have not seen. Phewf.

"But, who was first?" Erza frowns, crossing her arms across her generous chest. She's changed into her swimsuit, I see, and I'm glad to see it's quite revealing. "We know that Jellal and I were first, but what about them?"

"Juvia thinks it was Natsu and Lucy," Juvia pipes up, and I sigh in relief.

"No, it was Romeo and Wendy!" Laxus argues, brow furrowed, and soon everyone's debating on who reached the shelter first.

Wendy places a delicate hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "It's OK if it's your team, Lucy-san," she tells me earnestly. "We probably came in around the same time, right?"

"Let's have a democratic vote!" Mirajane declares. "Those in favour of Romeo and Wendy, put your hands up!"

Six people's arms are seen raising. Crap, that's more than half excluding Natsu, Wendy, Romeo and me, right? So that means…

"Natsu and Lucy receive the negative point!" Cana says this with certain finality. I slap a hand to my forehead and glare poisonously at Natsu, who stares back at me sheepishly. That idiot…

"Sorry, Luce," He laughs weakly, and then instantly stops when he sees my murderous expression.

"Remind me never to take transportation with you again," Is all I can force out, because the rest of what's lying in my mouth is a torrent of insults, and I definitely don't want to say _that_.

"First challenge," Gajeel announces, stepping atop a small stair and effectively silencing everyone, "is a swimming contest."

I stare at the black-haired guy sceptically. "Um…that's it?"

"Don't worry, there's _plenty _more to come," Gajeel cackles, before continuing. "So, this swimming contest is pretty simple. We put buoys out where you swim to and swim back five times, before coming back to shore and the first team to be there wins five points, and the last team gets a negative point. And of course, you have to swim with your partner, connected with these." He pulls out a fistful of black rubber bands from seemingly nowhere and waggles them in our faces. "It can be anywhere on your body; as long as it's connected to your partner. Gee-hee." He grins as he surveys the girls' horrified expressions, including mine. Oh, man, this is going to suck. "Last thing: Mirajane's the judge. Ready?"

"What, now?" I yelp. No! Need more time!

"Yes, now, bunny girl," Gajeel sniggers, and my cheeks flame. Why does he keep bringing that up? That is a memory I wish to _forget_, not keep remembering. "Ready, steady…go!"

Like the rice you throw at weddings, the thick black bands are thrown into the air, a flurry of glorious…elastic. _Hooray! Congratulations! _Immediately everyone rushes for them, hands clawing everywhere. I begin to giggle.

Then before I can reach up to grab a band, Natsu's suddenly made a giant leap in the sky and cleanly snagged one. He turns to me, grinning widely and flapping it.

"Nice!" I say, and stick my thumbs up. That guy deserves a bit of praise after a morning of scolding, does he not? Gently laying Happy down by my feet, I question, "Where do we put it?"

"Hmm, I have an idea," He mutters thoughtfully, and abruptlyfalls to the ground in a classic 'plank' position. He cranes his head to look up at me, where I'm trying to stifle my laughter. What is that guy doing? "Lay on top of me."

"…" _What…_

"Trust me!" He laughs at my stricken expression, waving his hand. "Just do it. Oh, and Lucy, you need to change into your swimsuit!"

"O – OK," I squeak, as I realise how badly this will turn out. Me with revealing bikini + lying on top of Natsu = _friggin' disaster. _

That's probably the smartest maths equation I've ever done. But there's nothing I can do to prevent this…

Squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as I can, I inhale deeply and feel for the bottom of my shirt. Grasping it in a death-grip, I throw all caution to the wind and flip it over my head, my shorts quickly following my shirt on the ground.

As I open my eyes again, the warm breeze blows gently on the exposed skin, making my bikini seem tinier than it really is. Gritting my teeth, I exhale and spin around to face my pink-haired teammate.

* * *

~Natsu P.O.V~

Whoa.

_Whoa, whoa, whoa._

Why the heck is Lucy wearing that – that _nonexistent…thing?_ Her humongous chest is covered by the smallest triangles of material I've ever seen and same with her…lower...body.

Not that I mind, though, but I think I feel a nosebleed coming on.

She crosses her arms over her chest, and I'm kind of glad because it was making me sorta uncomfortable – uncomfortable in one certain place _down below_, that is. But a bigger part of me is incredibly disappointed. What is wrong with me? I'm not turning into stripper pervert, am I?

Happy throws me a knowing look from his spot by Lucy's feet.

"U – um, you were saying?" Lucy mutters, looking very cute and peering at me from under her thick, luscious eyelashes.

I gulp audibly. Now my previous plan consisting of tying the band to our left ankles, Luce then piggybacking me and me doing all the swimming is not liable. But I have nothing else, so there's no choice. "Lay on top of me, L – Luce."

For some reason, disappointment flashes across her exquisite features but the next second it's gone, replaced by embarrassment as she hesitantly places one leg on either side of my back and slowly lowers her body.

As soon as her bountiful chest makes contact with the taut skin on my back, a shock travels down my spine. Oh God, that feels so…wrong! The rest of her body follows suit and then all of her is lying on me, and I feel a drop of blood roll down out my nose.

Hurriedly wiping the residue off, I instruct her shakily, "U – uh, strap the band o – o –onto our left ankles, L – L – Luce."

"You have the elastic," Lucy promptly says and I glance blearily down at my fisted hand, realising that I do indeed have the band.

"Oh. I do," I laugh, cursing myself when it peters out in a wobble. "Sorry. Here –"

Before I can give it to Lucy, however, she pushes herself forward on my body unsteadily and reaches for it, snatching the band smoothly out of my loosening grip. Instantly, I feel blood gush out of my nose in a strong spurt. Uh-oh.

"Got it," She whispers into my ear, and I'm given very temporary relief as Lucy sits up to secure the band around our ankles. I feel the tight band snap around both our left legs. "Done!"

"OK," I say, my voice barely above a whisper as she settles comfortably on my back once more. Frowning, she leans forward again, squishing her boobs onto me and therefore causing _another _veritable river of blood snake down my face.

"Um, Natsu? Why are you bleeding out of your nose?" She asks quizzically, and I stop short. Sh*t, those damn hormones.

"Uh – don't worry about it. Let's go!" I cover up hastily, and get to my feet very unsteadily. Oh, no…I think I'm going to have to _hop._ Lucy seems to realise this as well as she giggles, hitching up her free leg and twining it around my waist, making it a very lax piggyback. A _half_-piggyback, one could say. "Wait a second…"

"Hopping time!" She giggles, her voice like soothing music to my ears.

"Damn it!" I grumble, but I manage to trash all my dignity – and start to hop.

"Oi, fire pants! Nice!" Gray almost instantly yells from behind me at the shelter, still strapping Juvia's pale arm to his. I just smirk and bellow back, "At least I'm actually getting to the water!"

Lucy laughs again in my ear and I revel in the sweet sound. "Don't fight with Gray, Natsu."

What makes things awkward is that I'm acutely aware of Lucy's body jiggling against my back at every hop. Oh, God. It feels really quite –

"Natsu, hurry!" Lucy calls, pointing wildly at the oncoming, invitingly sparkly sea. "There are already lots of teams in there!"

"_Yoooosh_!" I cry out loudly, not wanting to disappoint. I hop as fast as I can on the firm sand, aware of a few camera shutter sounds and girlish giggles to the side. "I'm all fired up!"

* * *

~Back to Lucy's P.O.V~

When the refreshingly cool seawater first laps over me, I laugh out loud and hug myself tighter onto Natsu's bare, deliciously water-rivulet-ed back as he begins to thrash through the foamy waves like some kind of demented fish. I try to help him by swishing my arms through the sparkling water, but after about five minutes of vigorous swishing, I lean back onto Natsu, exhausted, and contentedly stare at his bubblegum hair, wondering how it can stay in its unruly spikes even in the ocean.

Then I think back to when I removed my shirt and shorts. I was kind of disappointed in his reaction – all he did was just stare a bit and go a tiny bit red, but that was it! Then he got a nosebleed – for what?

Grumbling a little, I contract my arms even tighter around Natsu's muscular chest and realise we've already completed two – he's almost completed the third one, too.

"Natsu, you're doing great!" I call, smiling on his tan skin and he splutters something through spraying, myriad droplets, his limbs still madly flailing and I laugh a little.

We're on our fourth lap and going good, second place behind Gajeel and Levy (who gave me one of _those _looks when she glanced back at us), when suddenly what looks like a blue rocket slices supersonically through the water a hair's-breadth from Natsu and me, jets straight through the wide gap between us and Gajeel and Levy in about five seconds and smoothly overtakes them. What the…?

"Who – _splutter _– the hell – _cough _– was that?" Natsu growls amid his jerky swimming, clearly mad that someone got ahead of us so easily.

"I don't know." Squinting my eyes, I wait 'till the crystalline spray from the person's wake has died down until I try to identify who it is. Pale skin, deep blue eyes like the ocean and blue hair defying the laws of physics is all I can get from looking; she's just too fast, streaking way ahead of everyone. She also seems to be dragging a raven-haired, naked guy behind her. So that means it's… "Juvia?!"

"What? Her? But that means stripper will win!" Natsu roars, and speeds up his weird way of swimming drastically. Soon we zoom past Gajeel and Levy who look somewhat miffed at two teams overtaking the first place they had a couple of seconds ago. "I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

"Go, Natsu, go!" I urge, and he growls as he continues crashing through the water. But to my dismay, the shore begins to loom closer and Gray and Juvia are still miles ahead of everyone – and _bam, _they've reached the finish.

Damn. About a full minute later, Natsu's flapping up onto the dry sand, stumbling with me still attached to his ankle. Quickly I bend down to unstrap our legs and immediately we fall apart, coughing out seawater as Juvia lies placidly on the beach, seemingly tanning her long, beautiful pale legs beside an unconscious Gray. "N – Natsu…you OK? We're second, at least!" I try to console Natsu, who smiles very weakly at me. I try not to ogle the seawater slowly trickling down his muscles. That looks yummy…_wait, what?_

"Yeah." Natsu still doesn't seem satisfied as he narrows his eyes at Gray still sprawled out on the sand.

After a short while, everyone has reached the shore, hurriedly unsnapping the bands connecting their fellow teammate to each other. Mirajane just smiles that increasingly infuriating smile at the panting group, tucking something metal-looking into her shoulder-bag. "Welcome back, _minna. _Everyone did a great job! But we all know who came first."

In unison, our heads turn and glare at Juvia, who hugs 'Gray-sama' protectively to her generous bosom. "Juvia is sorry. Juvia got a little competitive."

"Why are you so good at swimming?" Lisanna asks reproachfully, drawing her knees to her chest. Compared to all the other girls besides Wendy, her bikini is wholly presentable.

"Juvia loved water and rain ever since she was young," Juvia replies promptly, and no one can get more information out of her after that.

"That means Juvia and Gray are level with Jellal and Erza, and since Romeo and Wendy came last, a negative point! So they're level with Natsu and Lucy!" Mirajane announces. "Also, by the way, everyone…when you guys were swimming, I realised it would be very hard for not just me, but everyone to keep saying 'Cana and Bacchus' and 'Natsu and Lucy' and so on, I came up with names for each team!"

I groan, slapping my forehead and falling down on the sand with a bump. Knowing Mirajane, she's probably going to give us a name like 'Lovers Forever' or something weird like that! Natsu shrinks back, probably thinking the same thing.

The beautiful model flourishes with her pearly hand at Jellal and Erza, and they jerk back a bit, looking appropriately nervous. "Team Jerza!"

Everyone peers at Mira, somewhat surprised and I breathe a very audible sigh of relief. "No embarrassing name?" Cana inquires, raising an eyebrow and sitting on Bacchus's lap, who still has his purple armour on for some reason and voicing my thoughts exactly. "That's unusual of you, Mira-chan."

"_Hai, hai,_" Mirajane just waves it off and now points and Gajeel and Levy. "Team GaLe!" Her hand moves to Lisanna and Laxus. "Team Laxanna!" She gestures at Wendy and Romeo. "Team RoWen!" Her silvery locks fly in the air as she spins neatly on her heel to flick her wrist at Juvia and a still passed-out Gray. "Team Gruvia!" Mira finally then waves a hand towards Cana and Bacchus. "Team Bacchana!"

Everyone seems fairly pleased about their newly dubbed names, albeit quite embarrassed. Then, finally, Mirajane turns to face me, smiling quite creepily. Unconsciously, I grip Natsu's strong arm from beside me, and Natsu gives me a squeeze back. "Team NaLu, our favourite couple!" She declares and gives me a secret wink.

I glare my most intimidating glare, which essentially means just narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms tightly over my chest. She just _had_ to add that last part. "Mira-chan…" I growl threateningly, but the snowy-haired woman just twirls away from me, her laughter echoing in my ears.

* * *

"Second challenge," Laxus booms in his deep voice, seeming way more approachable dressed his canary-yellow swimming trunks than his usually luxurious fur-coated attire, "is an eating contest!"

"_WOO HOO!_" Natsu immediately screams, discarding the startled Happy clutched in his arms, leaping up and punching his fist into the air. "I've been waitin' for this one! I'm gonna win this thing!"

"Natsu!" I scold, gripping his wrist and shunting him down towards the ground again, the corners of my lips quirking up. "Listen to Laxus."

"_Anyway, _what I was saying is that our second challenge is an eating contest,  
Laxus continues, shooting a meaningful look at Natsu. "But this one's a little different; you get more points if you win and depending on your place in the challenge, everyone gets a point. So you get ten points if you win –"

My mouth drops open, similarly to many others' under the shelter. "That's crazy!" Bacchus says, his dark liquid eyes wide. "This must be some eating contest, right?"

"Yup," Laxus smirks. "Anyway, the second place will receive nine points, the third place eight points, and so on. _Every _contestant has to participate." He ominously glances over at Wendy and Lisanna when he says this, and they shift uncomfortably. "And the first team to finish all the food on each table allocated to their team wins. Ready, steady…"

"Good luck, _minna_!" Mirajane chirps, bobbing her head over Laxus's shoulder.

"GO!" Laxus bellows, bringing down his large hand like a cleaver.

"Come on, Luce!" Natsu screeches excitedly, accidentally dropping Happy to the grainy floor in his haste. He practically scoops me up in his arms as he drags me impossibly fast towards five tables set up further on the shore. This guy is really pumped, isn't he? "Let's eat!"

"H – Hey!" Is all I can manage to say before we're already standing before our first table, which is festooned with a veritable wonderland of only God knows what and there's also a cardboard placard announcing 'Team NaLu table 1'. I roll my eyes.

Natsu gives an ecstatic whoop and immediately starts shovelling giant mouthfuls of sandwiches and chicken drumsticks and whatnot while I simply shrink back, watching in unintended awe as Natsu's teeth crush the bleached chicken bones neatly to dust like _cr – un – chhh, _and as he pops deep indigo grapes off their vines one by one with his plump lips, and as he chews the sandwiches slowly and tenderly and oh-so-deliciously – _wait. What?!_

Am I that infatuated with this pinkhead that I even think the way he _eats _is sexy? I shake my head hard, punching my face hard enough so I wince. Great, I'll be going around tomorrow with a gigantic bruise on the side of my face.

"Done! Next table!" Natsu yells, catching me around the waist as he hightails it to our next richly food-laden place. "Damn, this is fun! And look, we're beating everyone!"

Blowing a strand of golden hair gently out of my face, I look up and see that this is indeed true. The second-place team, Team Bacchana, is working their way quickly through their first table still, although nowhere _near _the speed Natsu achieved. Feeling a tiny smile twitch on my lips, I turn and face my pink-haired hothead, who is currently chomping enthusiastically through a selection of vegetables. Golden potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, eggplants, fresh dewy lettuce leaves, artichokes – the works. Laughter bubbles from my lips as I watch Natsu down his essential foods like a good little boy. "Aw, what a well-behaved little boy!" I coo teasingly, patting his crazy head as he neatly spits a bushy carrot top out of his mouth.

"Shaddup, Wuce," Natsu complains, now digging into the last article of food – a long piece of celery in hommus dip. My mouth automatically waters and I immediately wipe my mouth on the back of my hand, not wanting Natsu to see me in such an…_unladylike _position.

The juice of the celery runs down his perfectly rounded chin and it trickles down the strong, defined lines of his neck, where it continues towards his abs, where it…

Ah! I can't take it. I lunge for the celery and I sink my teeth into it, revelling in the taut, fresh taste along with the slight spice of the hommus dip, my eyelids fluttering closed. Then, when I feel a light breath on my skin, they shoot back open, and Natsu's wide charcoal ones are mere centimetres from mine.

We are in the classic… '_Pocky Position_'. You know, where the guy bites one end, the girl bites the other and they come closer and…kiss? Yeah, that.

Wait, _are we going to kiss?_

He's bitten further on the celery, I'm sure of it. Oh, God. His warm but light breath holds the sharp fragrance of peppermint, despite having gobbled all those vegetables. My chest is trembling so hard I swear my ribcage will shatter, so I place a hand on it to calm my furiously thudding heart. Our lips are, like, a millimetre apart! Oh my –

"_Ala, ala_. Why are you guys doing the pocky game with a piece of celery? Are you that desperate?" A voice sighs, and Natsu and I leap apart, the chewed green vegetable falling forlornly to the sand. Mirajane is standing very close to us, a perfect eyebrow raised, a dainty hand curled on her shapely hip and the other inserting something back into her designer hobo bag. She's changed into a simple bikini, looking effortlessly gorgeous.

But, I am not appreciating that right now. I am not appreciating anything about Mirajane. No wonder why some people call her 'the Demon'! I snort like an aggravated bull through my nostrils and clench my fists, rumbling, "Mi – ra – jane…YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Oh, look, it seems Team Laxanna need some help! Sorry!" The devious model sings, and races off, padding impossibly fast across the sand.

Growling incomprehensively under my breath, I whip around to face Natsu, who is looking adorably bashful right now as he scratches the side of his face, a cherry-red blush dusted across his cheeks. "S – Sorry," Natsu stammers.

"Sorry about what?" I laugh, rushing forward to close the awkward gap between us and grabbing his arm. This guy is just too adorable sometimes. And when he's not adorable, he's hot. It's a win-win situation. "Come on, one table left to eat!"

"Yeah," Natsu murmurs, and then taking a deep breath, he shouts, "YEAH! ONE TABLE LEFT!"

I laugh along with him, but as soon as I see what's laid on the last table, I stop short.

There's a shiny glass container holding three shiny things, of adifferent shapes and sizes. With creepy-crawly legs. And shiny, snappy pincers. And twitching antennaes.

Yup. You guessed it – there's a centipede, an ant and a cockroach in there.

I shriek as loud as I can, and I stop to regain my breath. And then I shriek again. Then I stop to regain my breath. Then I –

"Lucy!" Natsu takes hold of my shoulders, effectively cutting me off. "It's OK! I'll eat them."

There's a flash of fervent relief in my brain before a scrap of my compassion (if it exists) comes back to me. "B – But…they're disgusting! Are you sure you'll be able to?" I ask anxiously, but I know I'm just glad _I'm _not eating them, as selfish as that sounds.

Natsu just flexes his muscles, his trademark grin stretching confidently over his face. "Don't worry. Anyway, it says you only eat one." He points at a white card balanced neatly on the table, written in what I recognise as Jellal's elegant, swirling script. "_One bug is to be eaten to pass._ So it'll be fine!" As he says this, he wrenches the lid off the container and I instinctively jump a mile back, stumbling over myself in my haste to get away. _Urgh!_

Then I sigh inwardly, bobbing down and hugging my hot, bare knees in my arms. Here I am, scrambling as far away as I can at the first crack of the lid and there's Natsu in the distance, now reaching somewhat _eagerly _into the box and destined to be eating one of those creepy-crawlies in it. Guilt washes over me like acid rain and I steel myself, curling my fingers into tight fists and deciding. I am going to eat one of those bugs.

That's what I repeat to myself as I take slow, steady steps across the seemingly endless golden plain of sand. This may be the scariest thing I've ever done in my life. _I am going to eat one of those bugs._ I'm at the table, with Natsu giving me a perplexed look. There's no backing out now – I've retreated into a corner in my mind where I'm barely conscious to anything around me. _I am going to eat one of those bugs. _My hand inadvertently slaps Natsu's hand away from the container and dreamily lets the cockroach scuttle up my wrist. _I am going to eat one of those bugs. _I lift my wrist to my face, open my mouth wide.

Crunch, crunch.

_I've…eaten one of those bugs._

I've eaten one of the bugs?

Oh.

"EW!" I scream, jerking back and scratching madly at my tongue, retching at the strange, disgustingly _nutty _taste of the cockroach and the mushy parts. Wait, is that a _leg _I feel? My eyes practically watering, I stumble around on the sand, spitting out globs of saliva. Ew, ew, ew. Why did I do that?! My body just moved on its own!

"Oi, Luce!" Familiar, warm arms wrap tightly around my slightly quivering frame and I somehow immediately feel comforted. It's Natsu. "Hey, hey! Why'd you do that?" He appeals softly, patting my hair in a wonderfully calming rhythm.

"I – I felt guilty because you completed the whole challenge on your own, and I wanted to contribute," I mutter into his arm, and he chuckles into my neck.

"Aw, Luce, that's cute, but I would've been fine by myself," Natsu's hand runs through my hair one last time and his fingers linger on the ends of a blonde strand, almost regretfully. That's what I'd like to think, anyway. "Thanks, though! Come on, we're finished!" He suddenly twirls me out of his arms at this and I give a surprised squeal, both at the sudden movement and the loss of his cosy warmth.

"Congratulations, Team NaLu!" Mira calls, waving her slim hand in the air and jotting something down in a notebook that she has produced out of nowhere. "You got first place, which means you receive ten points!"

"Yeah!" Natsu roars, and then raises his hand in a high-five for me and I happily bring up my own to meet his, his eager enthusiasm infectious. But, of course, I make sure to play it down a little under Mirajane's hawk eye.

Soon, all the other teams have finished up, and it's obvious who's eaten the bugs. Romeo washes his tongue under the tap at the shelter; Laxus tries to look composed but I can see him swallow repeatedly; Bacchus furiously downs bottle after bottle of beer, seemingly to wash down the taste; Jellal hangs onto Erza like a baby; Gajeel coughs wretchedly into the sand while Levy looks on unmercifully and Gray washes out his mouth in the sea with Juvia kneeling worriedly beside him. I seem to be the only girl who ate a bug, and I'm not surprised! I'm the only one insane enough to try!

"W – Well," Romeo staggers back to the cluster of people while Wendy sticks by his side, checking him all over like a skilled nurse or something. "T – Third challenge. Yeah, third challenge. It's a volleyball contest."

What happened to all those 'games you won't expect'? I'm beginning to think the guys just spun us a lie to keep us on edge. Now that I think about it, it seems legit. I spin and give a questioning look to Natsu, who just gives me a cheeky wink and shushes me with his finger.

"So, the point system is the same as last time. It's a normal game of volleyball, a round-robin tournament, and the team to accumulate the most points wins," Romeo tells us matter-of-factly. "Since there are an odd number of teams, one team has to sit out at a time. The courts are over there, and the first teams to reach them get to play." He gestures at the nets set out neatly across the dunes. "Good luck, _minna_! Ready, steady…GO!"

I smirk as I instantly sweep up Natsu's arm, leading the stampede of teams rushing to get to the courts. I happen to be quite good at not only tennis, but volleyball too (not to brag or anything). This is _my _game. I'm going to win this!

Natsu and I skid to a halt on the first court and the pinkhead leans against me, puffing hard. "Geez, Luce, you could've at least warned me," He pants and I mindlessly admire how the scorching sun glints off the soft sheen on his rippling muscles –

Before I realise I'm ogling Natsu _yet again, _a familiar, high-pitched voice chirps from the other side of the net, "Ooh, Lu-chan, looks like we got you."

I know that voice. "Levy-chan?" I inquire, dragging my eyes away from the delicious sight next to me with difficulty and peering through the eyelets of the net. It is indeed the petite blue-haired girl with her hulking teammate by her side, a competitive grin curving her lips up. She gives me a short wave.

"No friendships here," Levy declares, skipping forward to snag the volleyball sitting plainly in the centre of the court. Damn, I didn't notice that – looks like she's getting first serve. "Only the contest."

"Oi, oi," Natsu protests, looking appropriately nervous at Levy's sudden change of personality. "It's only a game, right?" He turns to Gajeel for support, who stares back at us forbiddingly. He ain't getting nothing from that guy.

"If I'm against bunny girl, it's no game," The iron-studded boy growls.

Natsu cocks an eyebrow, clearly confused, and glances at me for an explanation.

"Leave it to me," I say confidently, settling into my dig stance. I get it now – Levy must've told Gajeel to be wary of me, or something like that. I turn my head to him, smiling. "It's fine –"

"There!" Levy screams, and spikes the ball over the net.

Crap! Am I too late? I dive for it, wincing at the harsh grains of sand scratching grazes all over my bare legs, but I see the ball falling towards my hands. Grinning triumphantly, I give a powerful flick and it goes flying, over the net, and bounces harmlessly in the middle of Team GaLe's court. Score!

Natsu stares at me in awe, and I pretend not to see.

"Damn it! Gajeel, why didn't you hit it?" Levy reprimands, punching the poor guy on the side of his head. She really wants to win this thing, doesn't she?

Mirajane appears at our court, grasping a loudspeaker in her hands. "Team NaLu: 1, Team GaLe: nil! You need eleven points to win!" She blares through the loudspeaker.

Game. On.

* * *

~Natsu P.O.V~

Lucy is some kind of mad volleyball…machine!

We beat Team GaLe just fine, all thanks to her. I just stood there dumbly, as the beautiful blonde smashed the miserable ball the net over and over again, and Team GaLe was history. Not to mention her dippy curves catching the light of the sun every time she jumped up…wait, no! Bad Natsu!

Our score was 11:0.

Then it was Team Laxanna, who put up a good fight, but was powerless at Lucy's skill, who batted the ball with ease. I managed to get in a shot here and there sometimes, but I never really was a _real _help.

Our score was 11:1.

Team Bacchana was next in line, and they played with surprising aggression, but they were watching our first match on the sidelines and probably knew they were up against a formidable enemy. Lucy, at this, fought harder, and won the game for us once more while I was just…there, unmoving on the court again, but maybe that was because of a nosebleed that started up when she threw herself to the ground in a magnificent save…

Our score was 11:2.

Team Pervert and Juvia were next, and I got in more than half the shots this time, because I wanted to see ice block's face when we slammed him in the match. Maybe this is why his team did better than the teams so far – I should've left it to Lucy, and plus, I would've seen more of her amazing – _don't go there._ But frozen brain's expression was priceless when we won, so it was worth it!

Our score was 11:5.

The second-to-last team to challenge us was Team Jerza. Naturally, since the two of them were such good fighters and made an almost unstoppable team, they were quite challenging, but Luce the Volleyball Queen managed to beat them without too much effort.

Our score was 11:8.

Now it's our turn to sit out and Lucy swings her legs happily against the bench, watching her friend Levy and metal face battle it out against Team Bacchana. The sun sparkles on her blonde hair in such a way where it makes her whole head shine an enticing golden colour, and I can't seem to drag my eyes away from her.

Ugh. How does this girl makes me go all poetical and sappy when she's around?

"We're going well, aren't we, Natsu?" She hums, tucking her hand under her chin and leaning the side of her face on my shoulder, which sends a gentle electric shock down my spine.

"Yeah, because of you," I say regretfully. "I basically did nothing."

"It's OK, you did almost all of the eating challenge," Luce smiles up at me and I'm lost. I was kind of hoping for a _no-you-didn't, _but that sunny smile makes up for everything. "Now, we just need to verse Team RoWen to win!"

"Mmm," I mumble, my mind far away from winning volleyball tournaments. When we do claim first place, though, all I want to see is her beautiful smile again. "Yes, of course. To win…"

* * *

~Back to Lucy's P.O.V~

"_Hyaah!_" Little Wendy shrieks as she bashes the ball over the net with astonishing strength.

I've got it, I've got it, I've got it…I haven't got it.

The ball slips just past my fingertips, bouncing mockingly on the sand and I give an almighty lunge. But it's too late – it's already rolled off court.

"Team RoWen is winning 10:9!" Mirajane declares, waving her loudspeaker eagerly in the air as her wide blue eyes appraise the game nonstop. Shouldn't she be umpiring other games? She hasn't left from here since we started playing with Romeo and Wendy. "Geez, Team NaLu, step up your game!"

"Agh…they're pretty good," Natsu grumbles, brushing himself off as he clambers to his knees, having dived for the ball fruitlessly as well.

"It's OK, we still have a chance to win!" I try to optimize, but secretly, my heart is sinking. I had no idea Wendy and Romeo were such experts at volleyball! "Come on, Natsu –"

"Match point!" Mira announces, leaning forward in her anticipation.

Romeo gracefully hurls the ball in the air and digs it in a perfect arc.

A smile starts to curve my lips as I realise his fault. It's _too _perfect. I'm in the exact position where the ball would land, so I'll hit it! I raise a hand in preparation. First place, here we come!

But, suddenly, Wendy has given an impossibly high leap and she's level with the ball. "Sorry, Lucy-san," She mouths, and punches the ball with all her might.

"Oof!" The ball smashes into Natsu's face and I wince as I hear a nasty cracking sound.

"Natsu! Are you all right?" I immediately rush to his side and stroke a place on his face where a purple bruise is already blossoming. Gosh, Wendy's stronger than she looks. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," He grunts, but I can tell he's trying to seem tough. Aw, cute.

"_TEAM ROWEN WINS_!" Mirajane roars, and I roll my eyes. At least someone's into the game.

After Wendy, the multi-talented girl, has checked Natsu over for any serious damage, Mira produces a _blackboard _out of nowhere and the scores are neatly written on it. It seems that Natsu and I are in first place, Romeo and Wendy in second, Jellal and Erza in third, Cana and Bacchus fourth, Juvia and Gray fifth, Lisanna and Laxus sixth and sadly, Gajeel and Levy are stuck in last place.

Jellal gives a polite cough and we fall silent. I start wondering what the next challenge would be – it'll be something like a race, right? Or maybe a –

"Ladies and gentlemen." I shrink back as I see Jellal's scary face-shadow again. "It is time for the 'do you think your partner is sexy' game."

_Oh. _

* * *

**Yay! FINALLY. This is the longest chapter I've ever written, haha. I'm sorry it was all boring stuff, but it had lots of NaLu moments, am i rite?**

**GUYS, OMG, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY IN LIKE, FOUR HOURS. COZ IT'S LIKE EIGHT PM RIGHT NOW~~~~ **

**I'll try to update soon! Thank you, everyone, for continuous support! I love you guys so much, mwahhh~ xoxo**

**Until the next time, everyone! STAND, BOW, AYE~! **


	13. Chapter 13 - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 3)

**AMGGGGG TWO WEEKS LATE LMAO.**

**I am so sorry D: My homework just sorta piled up and...**

**OK, who am I kidding? I just spent the whole time downloading Vocaloid songs. I. Am. Obsessed. My favourite Vocaloid singer is Len so far! He's just so cute~ OMF AND ELETRIC ANGEL BY KAGAMINE LEN/RIN IS FUDGING AMAZINGGG *.***

**LucyCelestialQueen: Aww, thank you! And here is the long-awaited chapter for you now~ enjoy!**

**TheGrammarQueen: To 'spike' is a volleyball/tennis/badminton term, which means to hit the ball over the net straight down rapidly. :)**

**Midnightstardust: Hehe xD and I am very sorry I didn't update soon at all D:**

**Fairytailsfanshelley: really? Then here you go! :D**

**Fairy lover: thank you~~~**

**Happy Neko 6: OMG YAY ONE OF YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS :3 Arigatou to YOU, for leaving totally badass reviews on my story~! And yes I took your suggestion into account ^_^ thank you for the awesome idea! I'm glad you pinpointed the NaLu moments ;) I tried to add in as many as I could. AMG YOU ARE SO AWESOME~~ thank you for complimenting me over and over again, I don't deserve this at all ;-; your support is appreciated very much! ARIGATOU!**

**Now enjoy!**

* * *

~Chapter Thirteen - Ultimate Beach Day! (Pt 3)~

Looks like the 'games you won't expect' part of the day has begun.

Erza gives a little shake of her head and stumbles back a bit, her face a deep plum colour, and I have no doubt that my face resembles that exactly. Did Jellal really say what I think he said? He cannot be serious. I am friggin' quitting this contest if he is. I will myself not to meet Natsu's gaze at the moment, because that would be so awkward. "J – Jellal? _Honto-ni_? Why?" The redhead stutters.

Jellal shrugs apologetically, but I can tell he's trying not to laugh, the bastard. He is definitely not that quiet and timid guy I thought he was when I first met him! "Sorry, the guys and I decided and you have to go along with it. So this is how the game works. The girls will go first, and you have an hour to find something you think that will evoke an e – a _reaction_ from your teammate" – I roll my eyes – "and the guy to have the quickest reaction will receive seven points, and the second team will get six, and so on. Then it shall be vice versa. The team to have accumulated the most points wins!" Jellal smiles placidly while the girls stare him down, dumbfounded, and the guys look appropriately ashamed.

I am not doing this. No way, no how. "I am not doing this," I declare, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. Natsu shoots a sideways glance at me, and I'd like to think he seems a little disappointed. Heh.

"Me neither!" Wendy squeaks, and her face is practically steaming.

"Trust you guys to come up with a stupid game like this," Lisanna sighs. "Not participating."

"Jellal, I'm disappointed in you," Erza chides, having managed to return her previously flushed face into its pale pearly pallor. "I'm not going to do such a lecherous activity!"

"Ugh! You guys!" Levy pushes Gajeel disgustedly, but if I look closely, I can see a tiny bit of disappointment etched onto her face. She wanted to do it, huh? That girl… "I don't wanna do it!"

Cana burps, throwing a glass bottle aside. "Well, what I'm planning to wear for this is for Bacchus's eyes only, so yeah…"

Too much information!

"Juvia wants to do it, for Gray-sama," Juvia mutters quietly, but no one hears except me.

Jellal raises an eyebrow at all our protests and curls his lip humourously. "What if I told you that the prize for winning this whole contest is a ticket for each member of your team to Akane Beach Resort?"

I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth. Oh my gosh! Akane Beach is the most 'in' place in Magnolia – I've always wanted to go there and get awesome merchandise, go on all the rides and be treated to the buffet in the resort!

OK, so maybe I kind of want to be in the contest now.

"Forget what I said!" Lisanna squeals. "I'm in!"

"F – Fine," Erza says, disgruntled at the bribery. But who cares? It's _Akane Beach _we're talking about here!

"I want to do it! Actually, I wanted to do it before!" Levy shrieks, shooting her hand in the air and stars in her eyes. Gajeel raises an eyebrow and says nothing, but I can tell he's sort-of pleased. Aw, cute.

"_A – ano…_ I take back what I said," Wendy mumbles in a small voice, and Romeo pats her tentatively on the head.

"OK! I don't care anymore! I'm going to show everybody!" Cana cackles, and Bacchus grins in approval.

"I'LL DO IT!" I screech, ignoring the weird looks everyone gives me. Akane Beach, here I come!

"OK, great!" Jellal smugly accepts our sudden enthusiasm with a grin. "Ready, girls?"

I settle into sprinting position, already flipping through the possible things I could wear to seduce Natsu, which of whom is staring at me kind of apprehensively. Hm… I still have the memorable bunny girl costume. No, perhaps that's too cliché, since everyone saw it on the paper the morning after. Maybe –

"Go!" Jellal announces, and a calmly smiling Mirajane (although I swear I can see a devious, excited expression hidden under there) pulls a party popper and streamers explode everywhere, accompanied with a loud bang.

We're off!

* * *

~Natsu P.O.V~

OK, I have to admit that I'm a little excited.

A bit excited?

Fine, a _lot _excited.

My foot jiggles madly on my bouncing knee as I sit in the line that we guys have formed at the shelter, waiting for our teammates' returns. In my arm nestles Happy, who looks somewhat annoyed at my continuous, repetitive ministrations. What will Lucy be wearing, I wonder? "Hopefully she's wearing something really sexy…"

"OK, OK, burnt toast, I know you want to get into Lucy's pants already. Just don't say your stupid, hopeless fantasies out loud!" Shaved-ice-head growls from beside me, along with the guys' guffaws. Crap! I didn't even realise I voiced my thoughts! And what kind of insult is 'burnt toast', anyway? Glaring at ice-butt furiously to hide my embarrassment, I shoot back, "At least I don't hide my feelings for a girl that I obviously like!"

"Liiike," Happy grins, which he's been saying a lot lately.

"Burn!" Gajeel grins from beside me, taking my side for the first time ever.

"Yeesh, Gray, you got owned," Bacchus laughs, waving his trademark gourd over his head.

"Yeah, Gray, Juvia is head over heels for you, and you're head over heels for her. Why don't you open up your feelings to Juvia, like she does?" Romeo inquiries rather harshly, and the pervert starts, turning to face us and I see he has a faint blush dusted over his pale cheeks. Cute. Not.

Then he proceeds to use the oldest excuse in the book. "I don't like her!" Ice-brain promptly says, and I can see a vein pulse on Laxus's forehead. Oh, gosh. You won't like Laxus when he gets pissed…!

"Gray! Stop freaking denying it!" Laxus simply orders, and ice princess gives in immediately.

"FINE! I might happen to like Juvia! But don't tell her otherwise she'll go way mushier over me!" Icy balls shouts unnecessarily loudly, and Jellal snickers, leaning against the wooden wall of the shelter.

"No need to yell, Gray," He rolls his amber-green eyes while icy-minty-fresh hides his face in his knees in embarrassment.

"Oh! I didn't know guys gossiped!" A familiar, girly voice giggles in my ear, and all of us jerk back abruptly. Happy yelps and leaps smoothly out of my flailing arms just in time, hanging in the air for a second before touching down gracefully on the ground. I swear he has wings or something…

We wind up coughing on the ground, clutching our chests. Through one slightly open eye, I peer nervously at the blurred shape above me. A girl, definitely, because the figure has curves. Hell, what if it's Lucy?! Did she hear everything? "Lucy?" I ask tentatively.

"Levy?" Gajeel squeaks, sounding pathetically fearful. Wait, I sounded like that too…

"Lisanna?" Laxus says disbelievingly, sounding like he's going to throw up.

"Erza?" Jellal shakily says.

"Wendy?" Romeo groans, and there's a faint slap which I assume to be him hitting his forehead.

"Cana, I can explain!" Bacchus exclaims, sounding like he just cheated on his girlfriend or something.

"JUVIA?!" Talking pants yelps, appropriately nervous.

"No! You guys are silly." Quickly, my vision clears and I see that it's the snowy-haired model Mirajane looming above us and laughing gently behind her elegant hand. Oh God, we must've sounded so stupid. "It's me, Mira-chan."

"Don't tell Juvia, or any of the girls, for that matter!" Icy underpants immediately screeches, his messy navy hair askew.

"I won't," Mira promises, although I can tell from the discreet smile stretching across her face she's going to blab as soon as this day is over. Well, good riddance to ice-head. "Don't you worry, Gray!"

"Oh, God, I really thought you were Lisanna," Laxus inhales and exhales quickly, his burly hand curled on his chest. "You look exactly alike, apart from the hair."

"Sorry for scaring you guys," Mira says apologetically, but I can still see her laughing a bit. "But it's so _ca – yute_!"

"D – Did you just s – say the…the C WORD?!" Bacchus bellows, looking severely injured at Mirajane's comment. "We're not…_cute_!"

"Of course," Mira agrees, but she quickly bends down and scoops up Happy to hide that giggly smile of hers. "You're not cute at all." She folds neatly into a cross-legged position in front of us, stroking Happy on the head with long, tapering fingers. "Anyway." Her cerulean eyes hold a commanding sparkle in them as she looks up, resting her chin in her hand. "Let's talk about crushes."

"How about no?" I yelp, aware of my hot cheeks. Typical Mirajane! Why is she so obsessed with matchmaking? I simply don't see the enjoyment she finds in scarring a girl and a boy for life for just _standing next to each other._

"You don't need to be all tsundere about it," Mira smirks, and I face-palm. Tsundere? "I promise I won't tell, in the name of matchmaking."

That's not very comforting.

"You already know anyway!" Romeo huffs, his hands resting behind his head. "So why are you questioning us now?"

"I want to hear it out of your own mouths!" The model appeals, clasping silky, perfectly manicured fingers together. I've never understood the point of nail polish – what's the point? It's gonna come off in practically an hour anyway…"Like Romeo said, everyone knows, so just tell me!"

"If we tell you, will you leave us alone?" Gajeel growls and Mirajane nods quickly and fervently. I give her a calculating look as she reaches into her designer bag and pulls it out a second later, smiling indifferently. She's up to something…

"OK, I like Juvia. You already know that," Pervert says listlessly, looking completely tired out and floppy, like a rag doll.

"I may be interested in shrimp," Gajeel drones in a monotone, and glares at Bacchus, who gives a small snicker at this.

"Lisanna's the one," Laxus sighs. Ha, that sounds really cheesy.

"The everlasting beauty, Erza Scarlet!" Jellal cries, leaping up and flourishing his hand dramatically. Sparkles are practically flashing beside him. Um…

"Wendy's cute," Romeo mutters, his voice muffled behind his arm.

"Well, Cana's my girlfriend," Bacchus simply says, and swigs casually from his beer gourd. Yup, a match made in heaven. Alcoholic + alcoholic = lurve. It's pretty simple.

"And you, Natsu?" Mirajane crows gleefully, clapping her hands together. I narrow my eyes at her excitement, keeping my mouth tightly shut. She's definitely hiding something –

"Mrow!" Happy suddenly meows, and with a silky leap, he delves into Mira's handbag…and pulls out a video recorder. And by the red flashing light, it's on.

Wait a minute.

It's on? That means…

"MIRA!" I yell accusingly, jumping to my feet. "I knew you were low, but not _this _low!"

"Hey!" Mirajane protests, raising her hands in defence. "That's mean!"

"Sorry, but that's not the point here!" Laxus hollers, waving his thickly muscles arms above his head madly in panic. "Delete that recording right now, Mira, or I swear –"

"You swear you'll what?" Mira asks quietly, threateningly, and Laxus shrinks back. Not even the all-famous lightning guy will challenge Mira when she's mad. "All right, guys, I'll make you a deal."

"W – what?" Gajeel utters nervously, and I glance at him. Piercing-face never stutters. Ever.

Mira unfolds herself from the floor and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, her lip curling deviously. Geez, this girl is freaking demonic. "Team NaLu have to win the contest, but don't make it obvious. Then I'll delete the record."

What kind of deal is that?! Why does she even want us to win so much?

"What kind of deal is that?!" Underwear-man roars, but with a single look from Mira, he's silenced.

"Fine!" Jellal throws his hands up in air (sometimes, saying ay-oh) exasperatedly, his other hand messing his head of blue hair up agitatedly. "Deal!"

"Good!" Mira chirps, finally satisfied, while I collapse on the floor miserably, cradling my head in my hands. I have a feeling this isn't going to work out so well…

* * *

"Oh, look, they're here!" Mira points at the beach entrance, and there are indeed some faraway figures up there. Crap!

"F*CK!" Romeo shrieks, which kind of surprises me since he's not known for a potty mouth. He scrambles up to his feet, then slips and crashes down to the floor again on his butt.

There's a weak snicker from Bacchus, but no one is in the mood for laughing. This is where sh*t gets real. OK, Natsu, get the mental pictures of Gray naked and Jellal stuffing ten marshmallows into his mouth at a time and whatnot ready, because you're gonna need it.

I can now hear the girls' voices. Oh God. Laxus in a bikini. Bacchus spilling wine all over himself…

"Hi, girls!" Mirajane greets, and I instantly squeeze my eyes shut, partly because it's the rules for this challenge, and partly because I am _not _ready to see what is in front of me. I hear Romeo curse again from beside me. Geez…

"Hi, Mira!" It's none other than my stunning teammate Lucy, who sounds very close. Fuuuuuuuu…dge. I can already feel some tension. Oh hell. "What did you and the guys talk about?"

"Oh, just random things," Mirajane says airily, and I feel like snorting in their faces, despite the dire circumstances. Random things, my ass. "By the way, _minna, _I love your outfits! Very sexy~ especially yours, Wendy. Very audacious for a youngin', is it not?"

Romeo coughs from beside me and I can hear a couple of shuffles, which is probably him crossing his legs. Very tightly, mind you.

"OK, girls, make your poses!" Mirajane declares, and there's musical giggling and movements before there's silence. Natsu, brace yourself. "Boys, are you ready?" No. "Open your eyes in three…two…one…"

I open my eyes.

Sh*t.

_Sh*t, sh*t, SH*T._

Sorry, but I can't help it.

Lucy is there, in something even _more _freaking revealing than her swimsuit, if that's possible.

She's in a…dragon costume…

She plays with the red fabric of the spiny tail sheepishly as she sees me staring wide-eyed at her. Only her chest and her, um, _lower body _are covered very, very scantily and that. Is. It. Red, spiny wings rise from her shoulder blades and her nails have been extended somehow, into dragon claws.

"H – Hey, Natsu!" Luce laughs shakily, blinking her usually chocolaty-brown eyes. Oh, she must've put red contacts in.

And then…yeah, you should know what happened to me, because I forgot all about the whole 'Laxus in bikini' and 'Icy-head naked' and everything.

"FINISH!" Mira yells, clicking a stopwatch clutched in her hand. I drag my gaze away from the enticing sight before me, confused. Already? It's been about a freaking second since we opened our eyes, though… "Natsu wins with a whopping two seconds! Jellal second with one point five two seconds! Laxus third with one point five zero seconds! Gray fourth with one second! Bacchus fifth with zero point seven zero seconds! Gajeel sixth with zero point five zero seconds! And…uh…Romeo loses with zero point two five seconds."

Oh, God! That was really close… "Romeo is one horny guy."

"_That's _what you have to say, Natsu?" Luce says somewhat bitterly, her brows furrowed together in apparent anger. She rips her red dragon wings off and they float forlornly to the ground. I stare at her, confused. How come she's pissed at me…?  
"Lucy, are you OK?"

* * *

Back to Lucy's P.O.V 

"Lucy, are you OK?"

_No! _I want to bite out. I want to scream at him, to pull at his annoyingly pink spiky hair. _I'm not OK. _I don't have any idea why I'm so full of rage at Natsu – just because he got…you know…last. It was really close and everything, but I'm just so angry. Am I not good enough for him, or something like that…? I glare at him, now reaching for my red contacts. This was such a waste of time. "Don't talk to me, Natsu!"

My pink-haired teammate looks up at me with such confusion I almost feel like running to him, but I resist and turn away, wiping something from my eye. Hopefully it's not a tear…

God, I'm pathetic.

"Lucy, it's OK," Erza glides up beside me and slings a pale arm over my shoulder comfortingly. She's wearing a bondage outfit, which she found in that mysterious closet of hers, whip and leather and all. "I know why you're angry, but don't worry. Natsu has remarkable self-control."

"Like hell he does," I mumble. "All he does is eat. He can't control himself from that, can he?"

"That's different, Lu-chan," Levy intervenes, gripping my other bare shoulder. She's Goth, all black lipstick and revealing fishnet and thigh-high stockings. "He's totally into you. And thanks to Natsu, your team won this part!"

"Yeah…I guess." I hurriedly flick the moisture off my cheeks and realise how selfish I'm being. Just because I didn't get a reaction out of Natsu first! It's OK if he's not as into you as you are, Lucy. It's OK… despite this, there's still salty residue streaming from my eyes. Argh! Stupid hormones! Or something like that.

"Lucy-san, are you all right?" Wendy bobs up from behind Erza, and I have to say she looks absolutely adorable. She's in a tiny maid outfit, and it's adorned all over with delicate white ribbons from Lisanna's old dresses. She also has stockings, white and frilly, and what would a maid outfit be without a revealing low-cut chest?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Congrats, Wendy, you got Romeo first!" I give a wobbly smile and hug the bluenette more tightly than necessary. She laughs equally shakily and pats my back.

"Lucy-san, you do know that the point of this challenge was for the boys to resist?" She points out, and I guess that makes me feel a little better.

"Oi, oi, Lucy, don't get all worked up!" Cana roars, already shrugging off her (revealing) battle-girl costume, which we got from Erza…again. "It's OK, the guys pretty much reacted at the same time."

"GRAY-SAMA LIKES JUVIA!" Juvia screams, twirling around the shelter, clad in her ice-queen get-up. She looks absolutely ditzy, her deep blue eyes raised and her milk-bottle-white hands placed on her chest. I raise an eyebrow, assuming she means the fourth place her raven-haired teammate received, but Mirajane is smiling rather evilly next to the ecstatic water woman…

"Lucy! Chin up, babe!" Lisanna calls, throwing off her supposedly uncomfortable Pikachu cosplay. Geddit? Pikachu and Laxus? "Natsu's crazy for you, I know it!"

They're too nice to me, aren't they? I rub my eyes thoroughly and dig around in my duffel bag for my swimsuit. This is just a game. Why are you getting so worked up about it, Lucy? I'm about to fully strip when I stop short, swivelling around. Oh, hell, I can't change in front of N –

But there's no one sitting there. In fact, none of the guys are here. My heart sinks. Great, Mira probably sent them for their part of the challenge. Now I'm going to have to live with my burning guilt until the guys come back. I groan, flopping back onto the floor, my faux dragon tail curling around my legs.

Mira sees me crouched on the floor and manages to squeeze herself out of Juvia's arms, which I thought until now was an impossible feat. She scuttles quickly away and squats beside me, smiling so gently I think I'll cry again. "_Ne, _Lucy."

"Yeah, Mira?" I mutter. "By the way, I'm not in the mood for your matchmaking."

Geez, Pubescent Lucy makes an appearance.

"Geez, Pubescent Lucy," Mira teases, as if she's reading my mind. "I'm not _going_ to. Well, maybe a little."

Groan. "Ugh, Mira. What now?"

"Well, Pubescent Lucy, have I got news for you."

"What?" I ask (cautiously. You can never tell with this girl).

"Natsu really does like you, Lucy," Mira says softly, even patting my head with experienced fingers. "You should have seen him. He was doing his absolute utmost to hold back compared to the other guys; I even saw sweat run down his forehead in those seconds."

Huh.

"Did he?" I find myself saying into the skin of my arm. Ugh! _That's _what I have to say?

Mira just smirks at me knowingly, jumping to her feet nimbly and brushing her pale legs off. "Of course, Lucy!" Then she cranes her neck, her wide cyan eyes scanning the sand dunes in the distance. "Oh, looks like the guys are coming back."

_Just craptastic. _"Already?!" I stagger unsteadily to my feet, immediately throwing off the rest of my dragon costume before our teammates arrive at the shelter. We're all girls, right? "They took, like, five seconds!"

"Girls, get ready!" I hear Levy call, who is currently jogging on the spot for some reason. Like that would help. "Apparently they're judging our reactions by blushes, not…you know, because we're not guys."

Ha.

"You mean because we girls don't have a p –" Cana begins.

"Cana, shut up," Lisanna admonishes, thankfully. Wendy raises an eyebrow at this, clearly sceptical, but doesn't question it. Thank God. Despite being the same age, our sweet blue-haired friend seems to be a bit more innocent (in other words, less dirty-minded) than the rest of us…

The guys are now shadows mounted on the hills of golden sand, still too far away to see properly. My friends are now furiously throwing their get-ups all over the place, hurriedly trying to get their swimsuits on before the boys see. I swallow a giant lump wedged in my throat, biting my lip. Or so I think… I've never been one of those picture-perfect Tumblr girls that bite their lips impossibly neatly in selfies or whatever – my lips always end up shredded to friggin' pieces.

"Shut your eyes, everyone!" Is Mirajane's abrupt order so I slump to the ground, obediently letting my eyelids close off my vision. There's a little shuffling around me, a few (excited) whispers, but after that it's dead silence – so silent that I can hear the, for now, unintelligible murmurs of the boys. Fudge. Fudge, fudge, fudge. I'm going to be so humiliated if I'm the first person to blush.

Hm…I wonder what Natsu will be wearing? Well, it won't really matter, I guess, since I find him hot anyway, costume or no costume. But I guess it'll be more exciting if he has a –

"Oh, hi, boys!" Mira sings. "Nice costumes~! Very seductive!" I feel myself shake a bit. Mirajane is such a troll. "OK, girls, open your eyes!"

I open my eyes.

Natsu – Natsu is in…a _star _costume?

A little silver band runs around his skull and on the crown of his head, a large yellow star pops up ridiculously. His whole body is encased in a slick jumpsuit, which is bright silver, dotted over with more sparkly constellations.

I can't help it. Laughter bubbles out from between my lips, and before I can stop myself, I'm choking on my own fits of giggles on the ground, clutching my poor stomach. Oh, my God! He looks _hilarious_! He wore a jumpsuit! With stars on it! "_Hahah!_" I gasp. Oh, this is too precious!

"FINISH!" Mira declares, clicking the stopwatch. "Lucy in first place with the magnificent record; not blushing at all! Cana is in second place with three seconds! Lisanna third place, with two point three zero seconds! Levy fourth place with two point one four seconds! Erza in fifth place with one point seven three seconds! Wendy in sixth place with one point zero three seconds! And last but not least, Juvia with one second exactly!"

I manage, somehow, to stem my bouts of laughter to the point where I can finally sit up. Wiping my tears off, I look up at my pinkhead teammate.

"L – Luce! I'm sorry," Natsu stammers when he sees me staring at him, straightening up into some kind of army stance or whatever. Wha…? "I'm very sorry for offending you before!"

There's about three seconds silence before it finally clicks in my somewhat slow mind processing that Natsu is apologising for me getting pissed at his turn. I feel a smile softening my features and I leap up on impulse, crashing into him and throwing my arms around his warm neck. He gives a cute squeak, surprised.

"Why are you apologising, _baka_?" I whisper into his skin, laughing again. This guy is incorrigible. I know – fancy, right? "It's my fault. Sorry, Natsu, for getting mad at you and laughing."

"Uh, it's OK," Natsu says, looking a bit miffed at the sudden turn of events but pleased all the same. He peers down, pulling at the tight Lycra of his jumpsuit. "I'd better get changed, Luce. This is as uncomfortable as hell..." He trails off as I start laughing again.

"Sorry," I splutter again, taking in a great gasp of air. "It's just that – Natsu, you look ridiculous."

Instead of being offended, Natsu crosses his arms, pouting adorably. "Well, Mirajane told me you liked stars, so I chose this!"

"Right, I like stars, but you made the wrong choice of clothing!" I giggle. The other boys' choices are seemingly normal compared to Natsu – Gajeel is dressed as a nerd, complete with glasses and book; Gray is just simply naked like always; Laxus is in an eagle costume with the majestic feathery wings; Bacchus is a playboy barman with a little red bowtie; Romeo is dressed as a badass hipster and Jellal is a dashing knight.

Well...you can say they _all _made bad choices.

* * *

"Second-to-last-challenge, everyone!" Natsu is the one announcing this time, fortunately back in his red-and-orange swimming trunks. He seems to be avoiding my gaze, for some reason... "It's a photography challenge."

I narrow my eyes. A _photography _challenge, huh? I doubt that it'll be as innocent as the name. "Sounds interesting," I say, giving Natsu a highly condescending look.

As I thought, Natsu begins sweating profusely and he starts fidgeting with his hands. The girls and I exchange knowing looks. Yup, definitely not an innocent challenge. "Y – Yeah. Anyway, the main aim is to..." He gulps, and his Adam's apple jiggles. "Take the most seductive photo you can of your partner," He spits out, and then looks extremely guilty.

I sigh. The guys are ever-creative, aren't they?

"Anyway," Natsu rushes on. "So you end up with two photos, one from each person in your team. Also, we have a special guest judging for us." He flourishes grandly with his hands to the right side of the shelter, where a very familiar, middle-aged brunette waltzes in. Evergreen-sensei – in a zebra-print bikini.

Wait, _Evergreen-sensei_? Why is _she _here? Ugh, having a teacher here just ruins the whole vibe, y'know? Zebra-print totally doesn't suit her...Oh gosh, what if she reports us for participating in lecherous activities –

"Calm down, everyone," Evergreen-sensei drawls, flapping her feathered fan close to her face, and that's when I realise everyone else was accosting her with complaints. Great minds think alike, huh? Or however the saying goes. "Principal Makarov will not hear of this. It's out of school, after all. Anyway, if he does hear about it, he won't care; he'll just ask for extra copies of the girls' photos." I wince. Pervert principal. "One last thing – you may call me Evergreen outside of school, no honorific attached. Now..." She spreads her arms wide. "Bring on the sexy photos!"

Levy gives an unintentionally loud snort, Erza mumbles, "_Cough _messed-up teacher _cough_," into her hand and Happy gives a loud hacking gasp and pukes out a hairball. Ew!

"Anyway!" Natsu continues hurriedly. He brandishes a pouch full of disposable cameras in the air. "Cameras are here. You have five minutes for the photos. Ready, steady...GO!"

A camera comes hurtling towards me straight away and I squeal, bringing my hands up to block the hit. Instead, there's a small impact against my chest and I peer down. What I see makes my face heat up, and also Natsu's, who was the one that just threw the camera at me and is now by my side.

The camera is stuck between my...boobs. Yes, I'm serious. It's squashed tightly between them and I shriek, my cheeks so hot I swear they're going to steam. "_Kyaaa_! Natsu, get it out!" I scream, without even thinking.

"W – wh – _whaaaat_?" He gasps, looking scandalised. Why the hell is that guy hesitating? There's a friggin' _camera _wedged between my _breasts, _dude! "I can't!"

"Hurry!" I yelp, my brain still too dull for me to process what I'm saying. Dimly, I am aware of a few cheers and a camera clicking away.

"O – OK..." Natsu murmurs, his face flushed a vivid ruby. Honestly, what is wrong with that guy? He raises his fingers, and they come closer...

_Wait, what_? "KYAAAA!" I screech again, slapping his hands away. What the hell was I thinking?! He's going to think I'm a pervert! Lucy, you are such an _idiot_! Quickly I search around for the metal machine and pop it out, trying to ignore Natsu's furiously embarrassed, yet strangely intense stare. "S – sorry! Now for the pictures!" I ramble, laughing uneasily. "You go first!"

"Uh, sure." Then, he just stands there.

"Make a pose or something!" I urge, raising the camera to my eyes. Through the little screen, I can see my teammate awkwardly slouching there, not knowing what to do. "Natsu, just do it!"

OMG! Epiphany! A sudden idea slams into my brain and it's literally like a lightbulb turning on. I'm a genius! "Natsu, come out from the shelter!" I abruptly order, sprinting out from it myself. He cocks an eyebrow, clearly confused, but follows anyway.

Oh. Glorious. He looks absolutely glorious in the sun. The sweat running down his bare six-pack glints like enticing diamonds, so he sparkles like the clutch I bought for my primary school graduation and his bubblegum locks are bright and his head appears to be on fire. Natsu raises a hand up to his head embarrassedly, obviously spotting my inadvertently creepy gaze over the rim of the camera. "Uh, Luce...?"

_There_! I snap away happily, giggling madly in anticipation. We are going to smash this competition... the photo slips out the little slot in the camera straight after and I snatch it up, breathing hard.

Ahh! He looks so hot! Ahh! "He looks so hot!"

"Huh?" Natsu's suddenly beside me, his chin resting on my bare shoulder. He appears to be smirking. _Sh*t. _I said that out loud, didn't I? "Pardon?"

"Never mind!" I shout into his ear, making him jerk back in surprise. "OK, my turn! Here!" I toss the camera in his direction and unlike me, he catches it deftly, albeit a bit gingerly. Oh, yeah, because of the whole camera-stuck-in-boobs thing. Ha. "So...um...what pose do I do?" I inquire, then enjoying seeing Natsu's dumbstruck face. I take pleasure in the weirdest things... and don't think that it a weird way, you perverts!

Natsu raises the camera to his eyes, frowning a little as he focuses on me. "You know what, Lucy?" He mutters, fiddling with the little lens.

"Huh?"

"Just stay how you are. I like you the best like that," He murmurs, finally raising his gaze up from the camera and his deep obsidian eyes are burn into my flustered ones. Oh hell, did Natsu really just say that?

My face flushes a vivid peony and I try to laugh it off, reaching for a strand of my blonde hair and twiddling it around my finger. "Ha, you're funny, Natsu!"

_Snap_! Natsu clicks the shutter, and the photo zips out through the opening. Ah! That ass, he took it when I was laughing! Seeing my horrified expression, he laughs out loud, showing those pointy incisors that I love so much and flaps the photo in my face. "Pretty good, huh?"

I raise my eyebrows, surprised. I actually _do _look quite cute there, if I say so myself. My eyes are shut and my mouth is wide open in a happy laugh and my seemingly long and tapered finger is wrapped with sunny hair that catches the light. Wow. "Uh…I guess…"

"All teams in!" Erza's booming voice echoes over the whole beach, practically, and all the couples dotted over the shore come trooping in, including Natsu and me. "Hand Evergreen your photos!"

I grip Natsu's photo in my fingers hard. Hopefully this will be our winning shot! "Natsu looks so hot there…"

"Ooh, really? Lemme see, Lu-chan!" Levy glides up beside me and snatches my precious photo out my hands. Crap, I spoke out loud again!

"Oi, Levy-chan!" I splutter, leaping for the photo but failing. Levy ignores me and peers at mini Natsu on the photo and whistles, which makes my heart twist in a not-so-great way.

"Hey, he looks awesome!" She squeals, stabbing the paper with an immaculately painted nail. "How'd you take that?"

"What the f*ck, Levy-chan! Piss off!" I bark, suddenly furious. I manage to snatch back the photo and I shoot her a poisonous glare. How dare she? I mean, why is she perving on _my _guy –

"Lucy! Give Evergreen your photo." Someone twirls into the middle of our almost-argument and for the second time my photograph is gone, taken by the crazy alcoholic whirlwind named Cana. I don't even protest, instead I just direct another meaningful look at a perplexed Levy and flounce off to stand beside Natsu. Oh, yes, I _flounced_! Ultra-bitchiness alert!

"_ Hai-hai, minna-san!_" Mirajane calls, smiling and gesturing to get everyone's attention. "Now let's wait for the results!"

There's a warm hand that grips mine. I jump and glance down, shocked, and see that it's Natsu. He squeezes it, comfortingly. Aw.

Evergreen contemplates the stack of photos before her, her brow furrowed as she thoughtfully sifts through them, her eyes bright and full of concentration behind her mirrored glasses. At times she throws 'useless' photos listlessly behind her, and I'm glad to see that none of them are mine and Natsu's.

Finally, she slams her hands down on the makeshift table and we all twitch in surprise in unison. "I've made my decision."

She grandly brandishes two pairs of photos in each hand. In one there's Gray and Juvia. In the other, there's me and Natsu. "These are the two finalists."

Instantly, I can sense a crackly-electricity-hate aura between the raven-haired guy and the cotton-candy-haired guy. They glare ferociously at each other, balling their fists, while Juvia and I just wave cheerfully at each other. Girls will be girls and boys will be boys, right?

"But," Evergreen begins, and everyone sucks in a breath. "Team Gruvia take the crown."

"WHAT?!" Natsu and Mirajane yell. I just shrug. Oh, well.

"Ah, ah, ah," Evergreen scolds, warding the protesting Mirajane off her. "Team NaLu's pictures were very nice and innocent. But they weren't seductive, as the task provided said they were meant to be. Team Gruvia followed the criteria." I take a closer look at their photos, and I see that Evergreen is indeed correct – Gray is shown backed up against a palm tree, his admittedly impressive abs glinting in the rays of the sun, his hand is pushed against his dark hair and he's looking dreamily off in the distance. Juvia is standing amid fluttering flurries of sparkly water and the droplets are everywhere on her pale body, sliding on her calves, moistening her arms. She's also looking off in the distance, looking mysterious and cold and sexy, all at the same time. Gosh. "Therefore they win."

"WHAT? NO. ICE-BRAIN CAN'T WIN!" Natsu bellows.

"WELL, I DID, FLAME-BRAIN!" Gray roars back, and they clash.

Yawn.

"Evergreen!" Mira wails, and then leans down, whispering quickly and angrily to the unmoving brunette. My Biology teacher straightens her glasses and glares at Mira with such fierce eyes they could turn people to stone.

"Mira, that is my final word."

"Lisanna! Evergreen's mean!" The sobbing model whines like a small child, and runs off to find her little sister and her hulking blonde teammate. Typical.

* * *

"Final challenge!" Bacchus announces, punching his armour-clad arm in the air, and everyone cheers, including little Happy, who is encircled by Natsu's muscled arms. Every single person is glad to see this idiotic competition over! "It's an acting competition!"

Um, OK, then. Despite my scepticism, I just join in with everyone's ecstatic yells. In the corner of my eyes, I can see Levy, looking at me sideways with a sorrowful look, but I stonily ignore her. I'm not ready to forgive her yet.

"All right! Every team has to make up a one-minute act showing the bond between you and your partner. It can be sweet or sexy; you choose. But" – I groan – "the point system is different. You receive thirty points if you win, meaning you can take over the whole game no matter what place you're in currently, just by coming first for this."

What? That's crap! If Natsu and I don't win, our hard work would've been for zilch! Zero! Zip! "Nooo! That sucks!" I whine.

Natsu chuckles and grabs my arm, hooking it around his sturdy one. "It's OK, Luce. We're going to win this," He assures gently, confidently, and I feel much better.

"We don't need any more explaining, do we?" Bacchus grins, spinning his gourd around his agile fingers. "Go forth and make your act, everyone!"

OK. One thing you should know – I suck at acting. I suck at coming up with things for acting. Therefore, we are probably going to fail the challenge because of me! I desperately glance over at my pinkette teammate, and I'm immensely relieved to see he's grinning widely, stroking his imaginary moustache.

"Leave it to me," Natsu beams.

* * *

There's a makeshift stage set up by the shelter, probably set up by Mirajane, who can work as fast as Natsu friggin' eats, complete with curtains and everything. All teams are bunched around it, cross-legged, and hissing last-minute instructions to their teammate still. Me and Natsu? Oh, no. We are not whispering any last-minute instructions. Instead, we are sitting practically a metre apart, sweating profusely and straining furiously not to meet each other's gazes.

Why?

Because we have a very audacious act in store for everyone.

It was Natsu's idea, I swear!

"Welcome, _minna-san_!" Mira blares into the same loudspeaker she used for the volleyball games, somehow changed into a sparkly, frilly gold dress. For some reason Evergreen is still hanging around, reclining on a hard-looking chair in the corner of the stage. "This is Fairy Tail Theatre!"

I roll my eyes skyward. Trust Mirajane to make it all fancy within five minutes.

"Now, can Team Jerza step forward?" The silvery-haired model asks sweetly, and the blue-and-red couple obeys, looking very blush – y and shaky. Jellal's lip wobbles cutely and Erza puffs up her cheeks. Aw! They look exactly like a chibi! "Ready…start!"

"W – Well, E – E – Erza, you are …s – so v – v – very b – beautiful," Jellal cries louder than necessary, and there's a snigger from Laxus. Looks like Jellal isn't so hot with acting skills, either.

Erza swallows so prominently that I can see a lump on her pale throat. "J – J – J – Jellal!" She gasps, her face slowly turning blue. Juvia giggles into her hand. "P – Prithee, y – y – your p – porcelain skin i – is f – finer than t – t – t – the smoothest s – silk!" The flustered redhead blurts, and I can't help myself. What is with that olden-style speech?! I just manage to block my snorting bout of laughter against my hand, and the sound that emerges is like a horse choking on something. Natsu produces something that is similar to someone blowing a raspberry, and soon the whole audience is in an uproar, laughing so hard I think Cana is going to pass out.

"Um, Team Jerza, would you care to vacate the stage?" Mirajane smiles tactfully and quickly ushers the stuttering pair off, while Evergreen simply shakes her voluminous head of brown curls. "OK, Team Bacchana is up next!"

Finally I manage to quench my laughter. Aw, I shouldn't be doing this! Team Jerza did their best after all. Oh, wait. What if Natsu and I are like that? Crap! I make eye contact with my partner for a millisecond and then we quickly turn away, sweating once more.

"Hey, uh, you wanna go for a drink, baby?" Bacchus slurs, seemingly (or maybe not) pretending to be drunk. He leans against Cana, who swigs from her own bottle of sake.

"Sure, cutie," Cana giggles, one eyelid drooping, and they walk off the stage, whispering into each other's ears.

Uh…that's it?

Mira raises an eyebrow, but leads the couple back to their spots. "Creative, Team Bacchana. I guess that really does explain your relationship…Team RoWen, you're up!"

Romeo and Wendy seem to be going for the romantic approach. The purple-haired boy has sparkles dancing around his figure as he produces a friggin' _bouquet of roses _from nowhere, and… uh, he bats his lashes to Wendy, who is coyly twirling one of her royal blue twin tails around her delicate fingers. "Wendy, you are my life. You are the centre of my world – the person who I look forward to meeting every day, the sweet girl who entered in my midst in a magnificent blur of kindness, and possible love. Now I know that love is real, the love that will last for eternity…"

"Oh, Romeo!" Wendy squeals breathily, and she launches herself into Romeo's waiting arms.

Oh my gosh! That was so cute! "Romeo's good at poetry," I mutter, and make a mental note to ask him for any poetry homework that comes up next week. Freed-sensei will never know…

"OK…Team Gruvia, please!" Mirajane orders, smiling at little Wendy and patting her on the head as she passes to get back to her space on the sand along with Romeo. Gray takes a resigned breath and slowly straightens up, whereas Juvia practically sprints to the stage, almost crying tears of happiness. The water woman runs to the far corner of the stage and crouches down, trying to set her face into a mask of distress, but failing miserably. Uh…

"Oh, Gray-sama, my knight in shining armour, my prince! Save me from the kidnappers!" Juvia sobs, covering her face with her hands so no one can see her manic grin. "Rescue me~!"

"Never fear, Juvia, my princess, _mon amour_ (my love)!" Gray's masculine voice declares from the backstage and suddenly he leaps out, brandishing a cardboard sword and swiping it around. He makes an impressive lunge and pretends to slice some ropes free from Juvia and catches her in a bridal-style carry. Juvia's passed out from happiness. "Here, you are mine and mine forever! Let us ride off in the sunset!"

Then Gray gallops off the stage.

Natsu snorts very loudly, grinning cockily at Gray, who threateningly raises his fist – but thankfully, Mira interrupts hurriedly. "The classic fairy tale, huh? Ironic! Now… Team Laxanna, if you please!"

Lisanna and Laxus saunter forward to the stage and position themselves exactly two metres apart from each other expertly, and then nod in unison, signalling the start of their act. Are they friggin' mind-readers or something? "Laxuuuuuuus!" Lisanna calls happily, closing the gap between them and hugging Laxus's burly arm tightly to her chest. "I've been looking for you, silly!"

Laxus looks away quickly, an adorable blush tinting his usually manly and expressionless cheeks. "W – Well, whatever! I was right here! It's not like I was looking for you too!" He huffs, and I smile. Tsundere alert.

Lisanna laughs out loud, throwing her short locks back. "Of course you weren't…" She begins to say, and starts rambling about what happened in Siegrain-sensei's class today or whatever, but Laxus is not listening. He looks increasingly flustered, and as I watch, a bead of sweat trickles down the angles of his face. He's good.

"LISANNA!" He suddenly roars, making the girl jump violently.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. I – I –" Laxus stammers, but he stops short as his tsundere-ness kicks in again. "U – Um, it's not like I w – was going to c – confess my feelings to y – you or anything, Lisanna!" He grumbles grouchily, and the audience 'awww's at the same time.

Lisanna just grins again, clutching Laxus's arm closer to her chest. "OK, OK, you weren't!" She smirks, but her eyes are all-knowing. Then, the pair join hands and bow.

That – that was amazing!

You know, I don't think these acts are entirely fake…

"Heart-warming as always!" Mira flicks a tear off the corner of her eye. "OK, Team NaLu, your turn!"

I suck in an abrupt breath at this and crane my head mechanically to meet Natsu's eyes, which is a kaleidoscope of emotions – embarrassment, encouragement, apprehension and perhaps a tint of mischief. "Come on, Luce! You only live once, right?" He winks and grins, using that stupid and annoying over-used statement. OMG YOLO! YOLO, YOLO, YOLO!

But I don't care if it's coming from him, actually…

Heart thumping rhythmically, I mount the steps to the stage, with Natsu close behind me. I see Mira practically drooling, clenching the loudspeaker so tightly her knuckles are a deathly white. Um, OK then, Mirajane.

Lucy, you know how I called you here out tonight?" Natsu's soft voice interrupts my thoughts and with a jerk, I realise that our act has started. Sh*t!

Gulping, I change my normal voice to a tone slightly dreamier and ditzier than my normal one. Ugh. "Yes, Natsu. It's beautiful out here!" I point to the now setting sun, which sends tendrils of blazing orange and yellows over the glassy surface of the sea. It actually is very beautiful. "So what did you want me to talk about?"

Natsu swallows hard and fumbles for something in his swimming trunks. "You know, Luce, you're the most beautiful and kind girl I know. And – OK, I'm not good with poetical stuff. But…" He trails off. Gosh, Natsu's an ace at acting! I never knew that.

"But…?" I prod, teasingly and playfully. My heart rate starts to speed up. Oh, God, here comes the big part.

"But, I have a question to ask you." He finally finds the thing he was looking for. A velvet box. There's a sharp intake of breath from the audience. Natsu's eyes meet mine, and they're soft and smiley and nervous and my heart almost pops out from my chest. Why must his eyes be so intense?

"Uh…what is it?" I say, acutely aware of my shaking voice.

Natsu pops open the lid, and there lays a ring hastily made of glossy shells and driftwood. Despite me knowing this is an act, my breath catches and a tear falls methodically down my cheek. Oh, fudge, Sentimental Lucy mode activate! "…Will you marry me?" He whispers, and another tear slips down. The audience is dead silent; even Mira is quiet, her eyes impossibly wide.

"Yes," I almost sob, so quietly I have to repeat it for Natsu to hear. I look at him, my crazy pink-haired guy, a wobbly smile curving my lips. "YES, I WILL MARRY YOU, NATSU!" I shriek, and throw myself onto him, catching him off guard and we topple onto the floor, Natsu laughing in my ear and me laughing right along with him and I've never felt so happy, even though this is an act…

"OK, Team NaLu, your turn is over," Mira says shakily, snapping me out of my haze of happiness. "That – that was very sweet…"

OK, I have never heard Mirajane stutter. Ever. I push myself off Natsu and help him up, grinning all the time. Evergreen gives us a rare smile, and that gives me more conviction. We're gonna win this thing!

We seat ourselves back on the floor, with everyone giving us strange looks. Geez, are we _that _good at acting? Natsu sheepishly turns away from the stares and grabs my hand, squeezing it hard.

"Last team – Team GaLe," Mira says, and said team make their way to the stage. I glare at Levy's back hard as she climbs the stairs. OK, so maybe I was a bit hasty in my cold-shoulder thing, and maybe I kind of want to make up with her.

Perhaps later.

Gajeel is already on the stage, awkwardly fluffing up his cascade of black hair, while Levy skips up to him, ready for their act –

"Oof!" Levy squeals, tripping over her own feet, an action I have done a gazillion times as well. She lands hard on his ankle and slowly pulls herself to her knees, her face a genuine mask of pain. Uh…is this part of the act?

I expect Gajeel to grudgingly come over to help within five minutes but he's already by Levy's side, shaking his pierced face as he pulls out bandages from his pocket, tenderly stretching her injured leg out slowly and carefully. "Shrimp, why must you be so small and clumsy?"

Levy shoots him an angry look and punches his cheek with one hand, but Gajeel remains unmoving. "Try saying something nice in a while, idiot!" She shouts.

Gajeel doesn't reply to this, just uses a finger to tilt up Levy's chin upwards, where they look into each other's eyes seemingly for eternity, as cheesy as that sounds. "I know. Shrimp, you're small, you're loud, but…" He smiles, and I think that's the first time I've seen him genuinely smile at someone before. Levy peers up, shocked, her face a bright red. "…that's why you should always stay by my side."

Silence. Dead silence. I feel my hand automatically move to my chest, where my heart has probably died from the fluffiness by now. Oh, gosh, I don't even think that was the act they were meant to do originally. Then…

One by one, we begin to clap.

* * *

And so our exhausting beach day ended. Friggin' hell, that was a long and tiring day! Not to mention the embarrassing moments. Ugh. Cringe.

Of course, Team GaLe ended up winning the contest, shooting up from last place up to first. Levy was ecstatic – I mean, the prize is tickets to _Akane Beach. _I congratulated Levy, apologized; bam, best friends again after a primary-school feud!

Now we're all walking in a humongous group, all our stuff gathered up and I can see the lines of tiredness clearly etched into everyone's faces, and I have no doubt that mine is the same. Then there's Mirajane, who looks absolutely murderous for some reason.

Well…today was an exhausting day, but it's one I'll never forget, at least!

"Luce, why do you have that weird smile on your face? It's freaky," Natsu comments from beside me, swaggering along the path.

Then, the whole vibe is shattered like glass.

"You idiot, Natsu!" I screech, slamming my fist into his face with a _crunch._

Yup, a day I'll never forget.

"By the way, _minna…_ I can see everyone's tired as hell, so let's take taxis. First team back to the dorm gets to eat some of my candy stash!" Levy grins, and takes off.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Cana calls and all the teams are off in a stampede.

Natsu looks sideways at me. "Aren't you going to take one?"

Happy yawns widely in agreement.

"No," I say shortly. "I am never taking transportation with you again."

* * *

***breathes heavily* FRIDGING HOLY MOTHER OF GOD that was long. OK, I'm overreacting, right? Hehe :3 Sorry for the cliche ending btw ): **

**This was the last part of the beach day!**

**Guys guys guys, Fairy Tail Academy has finally smashed the 100-page barrier on Word! YAY! This is officially the longest story I have ever written! And don't worry, it is FAR from finishing~**

**K, see you guys! Until next time!**


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